Social and interpersonal processes may also be important sequelae of stigma-related stress. Interpersonal theories of depression (Hammen & Rudolph, 1996) have indicated that stressors exert negative influences on mental health outcomes by interfering with interpersonal relations, suggesting that stigma-related stressors may also significantly alter social processes that in turn render sexual minorities more vulnerable to the development of internalizing psychopathology.
