The Paradox of Belonging: Minority Stress, Community Belongingness, and Subjective Well-Being Among Black LGBTQ+ Adults

Black LGBTQ+ adults face significant health disparities stemming from intersecting minority stressors. While community belongingness is often theorized as a protective factor, these communities can also be sites of exclusion, creating a complex dynamic. This study’s objective was to test whether community belongingness moderates the relationship between minority stress, operationalized as microaggressions, and subjective well-being in a national sample of Black LGBTQ+ adults. Data were taken from a national online survey of 345 Black LGBTQ+ adults conducted between November 2020 and January 2021. We used validated scales to measure experiences of microaggressions, subjective well-being, and community belongingness. A moderated multiple regression analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro to test for an interaction effect, controlling for demographic covariates. Minority stress was significantly negatively associated with well-being (b = −0.11, p = 0.005), while community belongingness was positively associated with well-being (b = 0.43, p < 0.001). A significant interaction emerged (b = −0.01, p = 0.021). Simple slopes analysis revealed that the negative relationship between minority stress and well-being was strongest for individuals with high community belongingness (b = −0.18, p < 0.001) and was not significant for those with low belongingness, potentially indicating an exacerbating effect. Contrary to the buffering hypothesis, community belongingness paradoxically amplified the negative impact of minority stress on well-being. This paradox of belonging suggests that highly connected communities may become sites for trauma bonding, which can amplify distress. Public health efforts must focus not only on fostering connection but on building communities that are resourceful, inclusive, and capable of transforming shared experiences into collective empowerment.