Jessica Fish, UMD Family Science

About the Presentation

Sexual minority people demonstrate compromised mental, behavioral, and physical health, and these inequities are largely associated with experiences of stigma. Yet, mental and behavioral health risk varies across the life course and are linked to developmentally-situated social experiences. Using several population-based studies, Dr. Fish will present results across three studies that showcase the dynamic nature of sexual-orientation-related health disparities across the life course and the associations with anti-LGB discrimination. Findings suggest that methods that attune to health across the life course may provide answers to when prevention and intervention strategies may be particularly effective for addressing sexual minority population health inequities.

About the Speaker

Dr. Jessica Fish is a human development and family science scholar whose research focuses on the health and well-being of sexual and gender minorities (i.e., lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender people) and their families. Broadly, Dr. Fish studies the sociocultural and interpersonal factors that shape the development and health of sexual and gender minority youth and adults. Her overarching goal is to identify modifiable factors that contribute to sexual and gender minority health disparities in order to inform developmentally-sensitive policies, programs, and prevention strategies that promote the health of sexual and gender minority people across the life course.