Hair samples taken to gauge stress
To conduct the study, the researchers surveyed 954 people around the time of the so-called "marriage for all" referendum in Switzerland, also gathering biological data collected in samples of 393 of the study subjects' hair, a process spearheaded by UdeM's Juster.
In the end, the researchers found that LGBTIQ+ individuals and their milieu of cisgender heterosexual families and friends both had significantly higher levels of biological stress markers like cortisol and cortisone in their hair during the campaign than before or after.
But self-perceived stress did not increase in either of the two groups.
One reason for that might be because perceived stress is influenced by many factors, such as stress at work or at home or, during the study, stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas the referendum campaign left traces in biological stress markers, people may have downplayed the stress in the questionnaires they answered, the researchers suggest.
The study, they say, shows that the arguments and statements from the “No" to marriage equality camp adversely affected LGBTIQ+ individuals’ and their allies’ biological stress levels. This effect, however, was attenuated when LGBTIQ+ individuals repeatedly perceived supportive statements from the “Yes” campaign.
"The campaign in favor of marriage equality evidently contributed to alleviating the health consequences of discrimination," concluded University of Zurich senior lecturer in psychology Tabea Hässler, who co-directed the study.
"However, the data from our study also show that engagement in the campaign wasn’t always devoid of conflict. This illustrates how important fairness in people’s dealings with each other is to improving health in minority populations."
