Good states want to increase the well-being of their citizens, and act to do this. Insofar as state efforts constrain action for the sake of well-being, however, there is a danger that these constraints will limit liberty in a way that actually undercuts the individual achievement of well-being. If we limit liberty in order to bring us to one desirable state (say, good health) that doesn’t necessarily increase well-being if the loss of liberty in itself diminishes well-being. However, when we consider the three major theories of well-being, hedonism, desire-satisfaction, and objective list theories, we see that there is nothing in the loss of liberty that necessarily diminishes well-being at all. It depends on what that loss brings about. Sometimes liberties make us better off, but it depends on the specific liberty and what it contributes. There is nothing about loss of liberty per se that does us any harm.

This chapter introduces First Nations approaches to health care that have relevance for the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand contexts. It examines the historical influences that impacted the health and well-being of First Nations in these countries and considers the need for adopting First Nations approaches to health care practice such as cultural safety, cultural responsiveness and other cultural frameworks. Several of the principles for practice are transferrable to international First Nations communities as well as culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

The role of occupational health nurses is to improve mental and physical health outcomes and the well-being of workers. These benefits can often extend to family and community. Workers’ health is impacted by several factors including fatigue, gender, culture, age, language, living conditions, access to nutritious food, level of physical activity, sleep patterns, personal health practices and coping strategies, levels of social support and inclusion, personal safety and freedom from violence.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Portugal, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Portugal.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Indonesia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Indonesia.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Switzerland, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Switzerland.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Malaysia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Malaysia.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in the United States, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities living in the United States.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in South Africa, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in South Africa.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Italy, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Italy.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Brazil, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Brazil.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Nigeria, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in Nigeria.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Türkiye followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Türkiye.

This introduction provides an overview of the SMGD-MN study, including information on the context to which it was developed and its theoretical underpinnings. Additionally, we provide key terminology and an overview of the chapters’ content.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Austria, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Austria.

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in India, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in India.

I discuss some of the biographical and historical roots of my lifelong interest in contexts of human behavior and development. These include experiences with youth problems related to broken families and jeopardized environments, as well as abrupt social change due to political turmoil (e.g., socialist system breakdown in Europe) and large-scale migration (e.g., to Germany and Israel). The culmination of many studies in various countries was the Jena Model of Social Change and Human Development. It brought together macro-level system change with individual adaptation of developmental tasks, and effects on well-being and other outcomes. The model placed perceived new demands in the middle (between macro change and developmental tasks), and conceptualized modes of developmental regulation (engagement versus disengagement). The results of such research underscored the relevance of multilayers of contexts for development and provided opportunities for scientific advice regarding public policy. They also informed interventions aimed at minimizing maladaptive development.