Gender studies

Racism

Sociology

Sexual orientation

Transgender

Intersectionality

Family medicine

Prejudice (legal term)

Mental health

Psychiatry

Ethnic group

Stigma (botany)

Psychology

Anthropology

Minority stress

Lesbian

Queer

Social stigma

Sexual minority

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Medicine

Social psychology

Society and Mental Health

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) young people of color encounter interlocking systems of social prejudice and discrimination. However, little is understood about how subjective meanings of perceived structural stigma associated with multiple marginalized social statuses influence mental health. We document how perceived stigma can shape mental health inequalities among multiply marginalized individuals if they also encounter stigmatizing societal frameworks. Data come from in-depth interviews with 41 LGBTQ+ Latino/a young adults in the Rio Grande Valley collected from 2016 to 2017. Utilizing an intersectional minority stress framework, we qualitatively examine how young people conceptualize structural stigma, their multiple social locations (e.g., sexuality, gender, race/ethnicity, age), and their mental health. Findings highlight how LGBTQ+ Latino/a young adults experience structural racism, gender policing, and anti-LGBTQ+ religious messages in relation to their mental health. This study showcases the importance of an intersectional minority stress framework for documenting processes that can shape mental health inequalities.

LGBTQ+ Latino/a Young People’s Interpretations of Stigma and Mental Health: An Intersectional Minority Stress Perspective