The Impact of Autonomy Support on Identity Disclosure and Well-being among Sexual Minority Individuals

Much of the early research on sexual minority (SM) mental health emphasized theimportance of “coming out” or disclosing one’s sexual orientation in developing a positivesense of self. While some research indicates that disclosure is beneficial, other work hasfailed to find such well-being benefits. Drawing on self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci,2000) the present work addresses the inconsistency in this relation between coming out andwell-being. Study 1 indicates that negative reactions to disclosure exert a lasting impact onwell-being outcomes and that this influence was exerted via the thwarting of autonomy.Study 2 results suggest that perceiving autonomy support from one’s social contexts wasassociated with greater disclosure and well-being, especially among those with high levelsof internalized stigma. Study 3 indicates that recalling disclosure experiences impacts wellbeingin the short-term as well, with positive experiences associated with greater well-beingthan negative experiences. Cardiovascular results from Study 3 suggest that the relatingboth positive and negative coming out experiences is associated with increased bloodpressure. Taken together, results highlight the stress associated with disclosure and theimportance of supportive social relationships and environments in promoting disclosure andwell-being among SM individuals especially among high risk individuals. These findingssuggest that interventions designed to increase the provision of autonomy support may beparticularly effective in promoting well-being among SM individuals