The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Portugal, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Portugal.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Indonesia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Indonesia.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Switzerland, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Switzerland.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Malaysia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Malaysia.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in the United States, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities living in the United States.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in South Africa, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in South Africa.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Italy, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Italy.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Brazil, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Brazil.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Nigeria, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in Nigeria.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Türkiye followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Türkiye.

This introduction provides an overview of the SMGD-MN study, including information on the context to which it was developed and its theoretical underpinnings. Additionally, we provide key terminology and an overview of the chapters’ content.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Austria, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Austria.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in India, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in India.

I discuss some of the biographical and historical roots of my lifelong interest in contexts of human behavior and development. These include experiences with youth problems related to broken families and jeopardized environments, as well as abrupt social change due to political turmoil (e.g., socialist system breakdown in Europe) and large-scale migration (e.g., to Germany and Israel). The culmination of many studies in various countries was the Jena Model of Social Change and Human Development. It brought together macro-level system change with individual adaptation of developmental tasks, and effects on well-being and other outcomes. The model placed perceived new demands in the middle (between macro change and developmental tasks), and conceptualized modes of developmental regulation (engagement versus disengagement). The results of such research underscored the relevance of multilayers of contexts for development and provided opportunities for scientific advice regarding public policy. They also informed interventions aimed at minimizing maladaptive development.