Compared with heterosexuals, those with sexual minority identities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual) are at significantly greater risk of psychopathology, including depression—the most common mental health disorder in the general population. A large body of research suggests that disparities in depression between heterosexuals and sexual minority groups are due, at least in part, to minority stress. Minority stress includes stressors unique to minority groups, such as marginalization and discrimination based on race or sexual identity. To date, most work demonstrating associations between minority stress and depression has used retrospective self- reports of minority stress exposure, so little is known about acute effects of minority stress exposure on physiological functions. In this study, I examine the potential moderating or mediating effect of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—the high frequency component of heart rate variability associated with breathing—on associations between minority stress and symptoms of depression. Heterosexual (n = 43; 62.5% women) and sexual minority (n = 24; 59.3% women) college students viewed films designed to induce minority stress and completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results indicated no differences in RSA reactivity or BDI scores between heterosexuals and sexual minority group members.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog
