Identity-affirming networks can paradoxically worsen distress for stigmatized groups.

Evidence

However, Arab Muslims who associate with identify-affirming networks have more psychological distress. Identifying as Muslim in our current sociopolitical context is more of a stressor than an avenue for social support and so is more detrimental than protective for health. — Goleen Samari, Islamophobia and Public Health in the…, 53

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the ‘Grafting & Growth’ pattern where seemingly protective infrastructure (root grafts, affirming networks) can backfire under strain.
• QUESTION: What mechanism explains the reversal — internal policing, heightened vigilance, or hypervisibility of stigmatized identity within such networks?