Minority Stress and Alcohol Use Among LGBT Emerging Adults: The Moderating Effect of Psychological Flexibility

This study examines the relationship between minority stress and alcohol use among LGBT emerging adults in the Philippines, with a particular focus on the moderating role of psychological flexibility. Grounded in Minority Stress Theory (Meyer, 2003) and Relational Frame Theory (Hayes et al., 2006), this research addresses a critical gap in understanding how psychological flexibility influences alcohol use behaviors within this population. Given that emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) is a pivotal stage characterized by identity exploration and heightened exposure to discrimination, LGBT individuals may experience increased vulnerability to minority stressors such as vigilance, harassment, and discrimination, gender expression distress, and isolation, potentially leading to maladaptive coping mechanisms like alcohol use. Utilizing a moderated multiple regression analysis, this study found that psychological flexibility significantly moderated the relationship between minority stress and alcohol use, particularly for vigilance (B = 0.1116, p = 0.0116), harassment & discrimination (B = 0.1178, p = 0.0052), gender expression (B = 0.1053, p = 0.0155), and isolation (B = 0.1233, p = 0.0105). These results suggest that LGBT individuals with lower psychological flexibility are more likely to use alcohol as a coping mechanism when facing these stressors. However, psychological flexibility did not significantly moderate the effect of victimization on alcohol use, though it was found to be a significant independent predictor of drinking behavior (B = 0.3071, p = 0.0021), highlighting its broader role in alcohol use risk. These findings underscore the importance of integrating psychological flexibility training into mental health interventions to mitigate alcohol use among LGBT individuals. The study contributes to the growing discourse on minority stress and alcohol use in non-Western contexts, offering culturally relevant insights that may inform policy development, clinical interventions, and community-based resilience programs for LGBT emerging adults in the Philippines.