Black sexual minority women’s social well-being and psychological distress.

Abstract

Black sexual minority women (SMW), the largest racial group among the sexual minority community, often report high psychological distress and decreased psychological health and social well-being. Strong, positive, social relationships positive within group identities, and support networks are a key component in coping with minority stressors and promoting overall well-being. This study explored the association between minority stressors, social support, and Black SMW's social well-being and psychological distress. Participants consisted of individuals identifying as Black (including biracial identities, n = 48) cisgender women (N = 149) who responded to the Generations Study's initial round of surveys collected in 2016-2017. Participants were between the ages of 18-60, with a mean of 29.3 years old. Descriptive and bivariate correlations were conducted for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) stigma, internalized homophobia, gender presentation, ethnic identity affiliation, LGB community connectedness, and social support. Multiple regression models were conducted to analyze correlates of social well-being and psychological distress, controlling for age and education level. LGB stigma and internalized homophobia were significant predictors of social well-being and psychological distress. Low internalized homophobia, distress, and stigma were associated with higher social well-being as were high connection to LGB and ethnic communities. Implications for therapy are discussed. Public Policy Relevance StatementLittle is known about the effect of minority stressors on Black women's social well-being and psychological distress. This study suggests that social support, particularly peer support, and community connectedness have positive influences on Black sexual minority women's social well-being. aaa A pproximately one in five Black cisgender women in the United States identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer (Bridges & Moore, 2018); two times higher than any other racial group in the sexual minority (e.g, non-heterosexual) community (Bridges & Moore, 2018). Black sexual minority women (SMW) report more life stressors (Balsam et al., 2015), poorer psychological health, and lower social well-being than White SMW (Calabrese et al., 2015). Yet, Black SMW have often been overlooked in psychology research that focuses on their social well-being, including investigations of risk factors (e.g., minority stressors) and facilitators (e.g., social support, community connectedness) of social well-being and mental health (Everett et al., 2019;Page et al., 2021).Compared to heterosexual women, SMW are more likely to report more depressive symptoms, anxiety, and psychological distress due to distinct minority stressors such as sexual identity related stigma, discrimination, and internalized homophobia (Everett et al., 2019). SMW often overcome minority stressors by establishing social networks and developing positive in-group identities (e.g., racial and sexual identity) to improve their social well-being Meyer & Dean, 1998). Social wel...

Mattering, wellness, and fairness: Psychosocial goods for the common good.

“…If the social fabric is characterized by injustice, anomie, individualism, inequality, competition, and shaming, people can feel unworthy and isolated (Case & Deaton, 2020;O'Neil, 2022;Payne, 2017;Putnam, 2021;Sandel, 2020). In cases of discrimination against sexual minorities, for instance, we witness higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of personal and social well-being (Del Río-González et al, 2022;Thorpe et al, 2022). The same applies in cases of discrimination against immigrants (Lincoln et al, 2021).…”

Analyzing (pluri)sexual satisfaction and pleasure: A 38-year content analysis.

“…Sexual pleasure, on the other hand, has been studied and measured less frequently than sexual satisfaction. It has been defined as physical enjoyment of sex (Opperman et al, 2014; Vigil et al, 2021) or a combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive enjoyment of sex (Goldey et al, 2016; Gruskin et al, 2019; Thorpe et al, 2022). Several studies have indicated that utilizing orgasm as a measurement of sexual pleasure is reductionistic (Goldey et al, 2016) and highlight the detrimental role that worrying about obtaining an orgasm may play in how individuals experience sexual pleasure (Thorpe et al, 2022).…”

“…It has been defined as physical enjoyment of sex (Opperman et al, 2014; Vigil et al, 2021) or a combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive enjoyment of sex (Goldey et al, 2016; Gruskin et al, 2019; Thorpe et al, 2022). Several studies have indicated that utilizing orgasm as a measurement of sexual pleasure is reductionistic (Goldey et al, 2016) and highlight the detrimental role that worrying about obtaining an orgasm may play in how individuals experience sexual pleasure (Thorpe et al, 2022). Given the significant overlap in definitions between sexual satisfaction and pleasure and an absence of specific definitions of sexual pleasure among this population, it is possible that sexual pleasure may be understudied among LGBQ+ individuals.…”

“…Studies that do represent people of color tend to use a deficit-based approach (e.g., sexually transmitted infection, unprotected sex; Thoma et al, 2013). The few exceptions to this overwhelming disparity include research from Thorpe et al (2022) and Morgan (2015) who center their work around bisexual and plurisexual women-identified people of color and their sexual wellness from a positive perspective. While more researchers are centering positive experiences of LGBQ + people of color, there is still a noticeable deficit of intersectional research of this kind.…”