UCUniversity of Cincinnati-Main Campus · Psychology
Sexual Minority Women's Mental Health Lab
Sarah W Whitton · Cincinnati, Ohio
Research Focus
Dr. Sarah W. Whitton's lab focuses on understanding the mental health challenges faced by young sexual minority women, who experience particularly high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Through a comprehensive longitudinal study, the research aims to identify risk and protective factors influencing mental health outcomes in this group, examining how different mechanisms—biological, psychological, and social—interact with stress related to minority status. The ultimate goal is to leverage these insights to develop effective, culturally sensitive interventions to improve mental health care for sexual minority women.
mental healthsexual minority womenlongitudinal studiesminority stressrisk factorsprotective factorsbiopsychosocial mechanismsinterventionsdepressionanxiety
Research Aims
4AIM 01Model trajectories of mental health in sexual minority women across late adolescence to early adulthood.
AIM 02Test stigma-based risk factors for mental health issues in sexual minority women.
AIM 03Explore mechanisms through which minority stress affects mental health, focusing on biological and psychological processes.
AIM 04Identify protective factors that mitigate the adverse effects of minority stress on mental health.
Skills the Lab Values
longitudinal data collectionstatistical analysisqualitative research methodsbiological assayssurvey designdata managementC-reactive protein measurementpsychological assessmentscommunity engagementintervention development
Output against the department
Publications151top 50% of dept.146th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations7.7ktop 40% of dept.117th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.