Minority stress, psychological distress, and alcohol misuse among sexual minority young adults: A resiliency-based conditional process analysis Nicholas A. Livingston M.A. ⁎, Nathan Christianson B.A., Bryan N. Cochran Ph.D. University of Montana, Department of Psychology, United States HIGHLIGHTS • We found support for the existence of latent personality trait configurations among sexual minority young adults that are associated with differential risk for psychological distress and alcohol misuse in the context of minority stress. • We found support for psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) as a partial mediator of the relationship between minority stress and alcohol misuse among sexual minority young adults. • Results of moderated mediation tests suggest that the direct and indirect (mediated) relationship between minority stress and alcohol misuse is conditional upon individuals’ personality trait profile. That is, these relationships held for individuals classified as at-risk (higher neuroticism, lower extraversion, conscientious- ness, agreeableness, and openness to experience), but not among those classified as adaptive on the basis of their Five Factor personality trait profile. abstract article info Article history: Received 16 March 2016 Received in revised form 30 June 2016 Accepted 15 July 2016 Available online 21 July 2016 Background: Sexual minority young adults experience elevated rates of distal stress (discrimination, victimiza- tion), and related psychological distress and alcohol misuse. However, few studies have examined the degree to which personality trait differences confer risk/resilience among sexual minority young adults. We hypothe- sized that psychological distress would mediate the relationship between distal stress and alcohol misuse, but that these relationships would be moderated by personality trait differences. Method: Sexual minority young adults (N = 412) were recruited nationally. Survey measures included demo- graphic questions, minority stressors, Five Factor personality traits, and current psychological distress and alco- hol misuse symptoms. We used a data-driven two-stage cluster analytic technique to empirically derive personality trait profiles, and conducted mediation and moderated mediation analyses using a regression- based approach. Results: Our results supported a two-group personality profile solution. Relative to at-risk individuals, those clas- sified as adaptive scored lower on neuroticism, and higher on agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. As predicted, psychological distress mediated the relationship between distal stress and alcohol misuse. However, personality moderated these relationships to the degree that they did not exist among individuals classified as adaptive. Discussion: In the current study, we found that personality moderated the established relationships between dis- tal stress, psychological distress, and alcohol misuse among sexual minority young adults. Future research is needed to further explicate these relationships, and in order to develop tailored interventions for sexual minority young adults at risk. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: LGBT Minority stress Personality Five-factor model Alcohol use Resilience Young adults experience elevated rates of psychological distress and report higher rates of alcohol misuse relative to the general population (Adams, Knopf, & Park, 2014). However, rates of distress and alcohol misuse are even higher among young adults who also identify as a sex- ual minority (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual; Rosario et al., 2014; Brewster & Tillman, 2012; Lindley, Walsemann, & Carter, 2012; Meyer, 2003). These disparities are related to the fact that sexual minority indi- viduals experience higher rates of discrimination and victimization (dis- tal stress; Meyer, 2003), which are associated with greater psychological distress (Szymanski, Dunn, & Ikizler, 2014; Burton, Marshal, Chisolm, Sucato, & Friedman, 2013; Hatzenbuehler, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Erickson, 2008), anxiety and depression (Eldahan et al., 2016; Burns, Kamen, Lehman, & Beach, 2012; McCarthy, Fisher, Irwin, Coleman, & Pelster, 2014), and alcohol misuse (Hatzenbuehler, Corbin, & Fromme, Addictive Behaviors 63 (2016) 125–131 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, The University of Montana, Skaggs Building Room 143, Missoula, MT 59812, United States. E-mail address: nicholas.livingston@umontana.edu (N.A. Livingston). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.07.011 0306-4603/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Addictive Behaviors journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/addictbeh