Benjamin F. Shepherd, Ph.D.
@stigmatologist.bsky.social
Clinical Psychology PhD | T32 Postdoc @yalesph.bsky.social | LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health, Stigma Resistance, & Intersectionality Research | he/him/él 🏳️🌈🇵🇷🌊☀️ #AcademicSky #PsychSciSky
Are gay men aging together or apart? Short answer: It depends! New findings suggest that age and other status-related identities intersect to influence gay men’s experiences of intraminority stigma and community involvement. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... / www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Come work with us! 🌈🧠🔍🌇
Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative@yalelgbtqmhi.bsky.social · 3mo agoWe're hiring a Postgraduate Research Associate in LGBTQ mental health to join our team in NYC this summer! ☀️Come join a dynamic research group advancing LGBTQ mental health 🏳️🌈 For more information and application instructions: postdocs.yale.edu/posts/2026-0... Please share widely!
We're hiring a Postgraduate Research Associate in LGBTQ mental health to join our team in NYC this summer! ☀️Come join a dynamic research group advancing LGBTQ mental health 🏳️🌈 For more information and application instructions: postdocs.yale.edu/posts/2026-0... Please share widely!
Postgraduate Associate in LGBTQ Mental Health — Yale School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
postdocs.yale.edu
Fresh off the press! 📑🙏🌈👨❤️💋👨👩❤️💋👩💏👩❤️💋👨 Takeaway: Partnered Latter-day Saint individuals with minoritized sexual identities face unique psychosocial barriers to personal authenticity and relationship satisfaction. 💯% 🆓 to read in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships: doi.org/10.1177/0265...
Is dating app use harming the mental health of Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men? Our research suggests that may be the case, but only under specific conditions. psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/... published by @apajournals.bsky.social @apadivision45.bsky.social 1/5
New @intjeatdisord.bsky.social publication! -Previous research shows LGBTQ+ community involvement is linked with elevated disordered eating in sexual minoritized men (SMM) -Intraminority, or within-community stress clarifies this link (1)
🚨New pub alert!🚨 Research on the health benefits of LGBTQ+ community involvement is nuanced. Led by Dr. @barnhartwr.bsky.social, our longitudinal study found… 1/4 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
This fall, we are recruiting parents of LGBTQ people for a paid study assessing programs designed for parents of LGBTQ people 🍁! See if you qualify for our research study by completing our eligibility screener at the link in bio 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Happy to share that next week I start my postdoc fellowship @yalesph.bsky.social @yalelgbtqmhi.bsky.social, where I will be working to bridge the gap between clinical psychology and public health to promote mental and sexual health equity within LGBTQ+ communities. The work must continue! 🌈 #YAPT
Elated (and very relieved) to have finally completed my 2,070-hour doctoral internship in health service psychology at #CMTP @bumedicine.bsky.social! #wedidit 🥳 By August 31, my degree will be conferred and I’ll officially be Dr. Shepherd. #PhDone (I’ve been waiting 6 years to use this hashtag!)
Excited to present my research on belonging, minority stress, and burnout among psychology trainees with concealable stigmatized identities (with a focus on LGBTQ+ identities) tomorrow at #APA2025! 🌈 @apadivision44.bsky.social
Sharing a study of Hispanic SGM mental health! I'd take it but I'm too old 😂 -Lorenzo
Thrilled and grateful to be surrounded by loved ones at my graduation! Now equipped with a fancy new doctorate in Clinical Psychology, I’m excited to continue learning and growing from and through relationships, both personal and professional. -Benjamin F. Shepherd, PhD #finally
Dissertation successfully defended! 🥳 Graduation imminent! 🎓 Dr. Shepherd incoming! 🧠 🔍 See Acknowledgments section. ❤️ #finally
🚨 New #Publication in Health Psych 🚨 Led by Shayna Skakoon-Sparling and Susan Chow, our lab coordinator: "Social-support buffers the effect of internalized homonegativity on intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors" 🔓Postprint (accepted version): osf.io/preprints/ps... 🔗 DOI: doi.org/10.1037/hea0...
![Objective: Among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors (i.e., distress about one’s sexual urges or behaviors) are associated with depression and engagement in behavior that increases the risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The present study examines the association between internalized homonegativity and intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors, the intervening effect of depression symptoms, and the potential buffering effect of social support. Furthermore, we establish the subsequent link with physical health outcomes by examining the association between intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors and recent bacterial STI diagnosis.
Method: Using participant data (n = 1,046) from three time points, we conducted a moderated mediation analysis and logistic regression.
Results: Higher internalized homonegativity scores conditionally predicted greater intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors 1 year later: participants with higher internalized homonegativity scores reported more severe intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors if they also had lower social support, β = .08, SE = 0.02, p < .001, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.04, 0.13]. More severe depression symptoms were also directly associated with greater intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors (β = .02, SE = 0.01, p = .011, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03]). Finally, there was a significant association between intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors and recent bacterial STI diagnosis (OR = 1.68, p < .001, 95% CI [1.30, 2.16]).
Conclusion: Given that social support mitigated the impact of internalized homonegativity on intrusive sexual thoughts/behaviors, ultimately indirectly reducing the occurrence of bacterial STIs in this population, these findings demonstrate the utility of psychosocial factors as potential intervention targets for improving the health of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:og5tefyftmgouw4uyqmvzub5/bafkreigcplzhqaxakixk66nn7q7pr4g4zztx4o7oaex75dvx5sipaql4im)
Dr. Shayna Sparling@shaynagram.bsky.social · last yr.So excited that this paper is finally out! doi.org/10.1037/hea0... My study coordinator and I used data from our team's cohort study to see if we could better understand some of the downstream impacts of internalized homonegativity and how social support might help some folks.
Dating apps boast millions of users and billions in revenue. But a new study reveals a darker side: they may be linked to poorer body image and mental health. #DatingApps #BodyImage #MentalHealth #SelfEsteem #HealthyRelationships
Are dating apps affecting your body image? Here’s what the research says
Dating apps boast millions of users and billions in revenue. But a new study reveals a darker side: they may be linked to poorer body image and mental health.
psypost.org
Dismayed at attacks on LGBTQ people atm and very glad I get to at least work to get more affirmative care out in the world. Giving a workshop on LGBTQ-affirmative CBT in a couple of weeks! Come if you want to learn more about how to support queer people through all of *waves hands* this
We are recruiting LGBQ+ Veterans in the Boston area for a study testing a brief intervention for anxiety and depression. Please spread the word! 🌈 #LGBTQhealth #LGBTQResearch #VeteransHealth
Connect with folks through this LGBTQ Youth & Families Research starter pack. Happy to add others who are here! go.bsky.app/M2dCSHy
Thanks to #CSHRB's Dr. Jason Kimer for helping us all stay alert and safe this holiday season. Excellent interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta featured on CNN www.cnn.com/2024/12/16/h...
Alcohol is not good for us. 5 tips to stay safe(r) if you drink | CNN
Alcohol is used as a social lubricant, maybe more so as holiday festivities approach. But drinking carries health and other risks. Here are five tips to make it safer.
cnn.com
How do LGBTQIA+ youth learn what it means to be LGBTQIA+? Who are the key players in this process? Chosen family play a BIG role, and origin family contribute but much less. LGBTQIA+ socialization may be another way we can support youth. Here's a preview from presentation at @ncfr.bsky.social
Started a #HealthEquity starter pack—feel free to suggest additions or request to be added! Still in formation, hoping to find other similar lists so drop your recs below, too!
That’s a wrap @abctnow.bsky.social! Loved getting to reunite with friends old and new at #ABCT2024! One of the best parts of academic conferences is getting to learn with and from people who are so passionate about what they do! #AcademicSky
