About Us

The Minority Stress & Trauma Lab focuses on research related to improving the mental and behavioral health of racially and ethnically diverse sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. To this end, our current NIH-funded research aims to understand and address the co-occurring epidemics, such as trauma exposure, alcohol use disorders, PTSD, and suicidality, surrounding SGM people with a focus on sexual minority women. Several ongoing projects involve: (1) identifying multilevel (e.g., individual, social, structural) determinants, such as trauma exposure and minority stress, of sexual orientation and gender identity disparities in alcohol misuse and poor mental health among adolescents and adults; (2) guiding evidence-based intervention development, delivery, and implementation to ameliorate alcohol misuse and mental health comorbidities among trauma-exposed sexual minority women; and (3) determining patterns of help-seeking and associated barriers among trauma-exposed SGM populations.