Researchers examined how moments of concealment or open expression of sexual and gender identity related to daily emotional life. The work responds to evidence that sexual and gender minority (SGM) people face higher rates of depression than their non‑SGM peers.
The study followed 252 SGM young adults for eight days and gathered thousands of real‑time reports about emotions, identity experiences and social interactions. The sample mainly included bi+ cisgender women and nonbinary people assigned female at birth. The team was led by Sienna Nielsen, a University of Michigan psychology graduate student.
Investigators found that concealing identity was linked with greater emotional strain and lower confidence in one’s sense of self. Being open about identity was associated with stronger self‑clarity and more positive feelings about identity. The researchers did not find a direct connection between these day‑to‑day experiences and depression symptoms during the study period, but negative emotions appeared to play an important indirect role when people felt pressure to hide.
The authors say ordinary interactions can add up and affect mental health over time. They argue that building a strong queer community may help resist the harmful effects of hiding identity.
Difficult words
- concealment — keeping something hidden from other people
- expression — showing thoughts or feelings to others
- minority — a smaller group different from the majority
- depression — a mental health condition with low mood
- sample — a group of people chosen for a study
- cisgender — a person whose gender matches their birth sex
- nonbinary — a person with a gender outside male or female
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might ordinary daily interactions add up and affect a person’s mental health over time?
- What practical steps can a community take to support people who feel pressure to hide their identity?
- If you knew someone who was concealing their identity and felt emotional strain, what small actions could you take to help them feel safer?
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