Finding Your Pulse: Insidious Trauma, Psychological Distress, and Collective Action Among Sexual Minority Latinx
Using an additive intersectional approach, the present study examined the relations among racism in LGBT communities (LGBT racism), heterosexism in racial/ethnic minority communities (POC heterosexism) and foreigner objectification and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and psychological distress among U.S. sexual minority Latinx people. Additionally, group-specific collective action (i.e., ethnic/racial collective action, sexual minority collective action, immigration collective action) were examined as potential moderators in these respective links. Combined collective action (mean level of collective action across the three group-specific types) was also examined as a potential moderator between the microaggression and PTSD symptoms and psychological distress links. A total of 364 sexual minority Latinx individuals participated in this study. At the bivariate level, LGBT racism, POC heterosexism and foreigner objectification were each positively related to more PTSD symptoms and psychological distress, although only foreigner objectification emerged as a positive predictor of PTSD symptoms and psychological distress. In addition, all group-specific collective actions (i.e., ethnic/racial collective action, sexual minority collective action, immigration collective action) were positively related at the bivariate level to higher levels of PTSD symptoms and psychological distress. Sexual minority collective action and immigration collective action emerged as positive predictors of psychological distress and ethnic/racial collective action as a negative predictor. Only sexual minority collective action and immigration collective action were positive predictors of PTSD. Moreover, the combined collective action was positively related with PTSD symptoms and psychological distress at the bivariate level and was a positive predictor of these two outcomes. Furthermore, none of the group-specific collective actions nor combined collective action emerged as moderators between microaggressions and PTSD symptoms and psychological distress. Results support the use of an intersectional approach in seeking to understand the relation between microaggressions and mental health among sexual minority Latinx people. Additionally, results also support the conceptualization of repeated microaggressions, namely foreigner objectification, as sources of PTSD symptoms among sexual minority Latinx people. Results also suggest that, although beneficial for society, collective action efforts may be personally taxing and associated with negative mental health indicators.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations