social network in response to the stressor” (p. 453). Although the individual may possess some of the mediating characteristic prior to experiencing the stigma-related stressor, within a meditational framework the mediator will be significantly altered subsequent to experiencing the stressor (Grant et al., 2003). Applied to the current topic, it may be the case that LGB individuals engage in rumination before they are exposed to stigma-related stress, but the current framework posits that stigma-related stress will intensify ruminative self-focus following a stigma-related stressor; rumination will, in turn, statistically account for the association between stress and the development of depression.
