Faculty Articles

O te peinas, o te haces rolos: Intersectional discrimination, identity conflict, and mental health among Latinx sexual minoritized adults.

ORCID

0000-0001-7645-9836

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

ISSN

1939-0106

Publication Date

9-4-2023

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: People of color with minoritized sexual identities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) experience identity-based challenges from outside and within their communities. Through the integrative lens of minority stress theory and intersectionality, the present study examined identity conflict, also known as conflicts in allegiances-the perceived incongruence between one's sexual and ethnic identities-as a statistical mediator of the association between intersectional discrimination (heterosexist discrimination experienced within the Latinx community and ethnic discrimination experienced within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer [LGBTQ +] community) and mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety).

METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 452 Latinx sexual minoritized adults living in the United States participated in the study. The PROCESS macro (Model 4; Hayes, 2018) was used to test the hypothesis that heterosexist discrimination experienced within the Latinx community and ethnic discrimination experienced within the LGBTQ + community are associated with depression and anxiety indirectly through identity conflict. In each mediation model, outness to family was included as a covariate, along with participant age, education, generation status, and language preference.

RESULTS: Approximately 37% of participants had clinically significant depression scores and 54% had clinically significant anxiety scores. As expected, experiences of intersectional discrimination (i.e., Latinx heterosexist discrimination and LGBTQ + ethnic discrimination) were indirectly associated with depression and anxiety through higher levels of identity conflict.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings increase awareness of unique psychosocial factors that may underlie mental health inequities affecting Latinx adults with minoritized sexual identities. Such knowledge can facilitate the development of culturally responsive interventions that best support this diverse population by addressing intersectional minority stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

DOI

10.1037/cdp0000621

Comments

Impact Statement

This study shows that experiences of sexual orientation-based discrimination within the Latinx community and experiences of ethnicity-based discrimination within the LGBTQ + community are related to feelings of incompatibility between one’s sexual and ethnic identities, depression, and anxiety among Latinx sexual minoritized adults. These findings pave the way for future research and interventions that are inclusive of diverse and intersecting identities; public health initiatives that aim to reduce identity-based challenges at the community level are encouraged. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved

PubMed ID

37668577

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