Racialized Sexual Discrimination (RSD) and Psychological Wellbeing among Young Sexual Minority Black Men (YSMBM) Who Seek Intimate Partners Online

Abstract

Introduction Online dating is widespread among young adults, and particularly young sexual minority men. Racialized sexual discrimination (RSD), also known as “sexual racism,” is frequently reported to occur within these digital spaces and may negatively impact the psychological wellbeing of young sexual minority Black men (YSMBM). However, the association between RSD and psychological wellbeing is not well understood. Methods Using data (collected between July 2017–January 2018) from a cross-sectional web-survey of YSMBM (N = 603), six multivariable regression models were estimated to examine the association between five RSD subscales and depressive symptoms and feelings of self-worth. RSD subscales were derived from the first preliminarily validated scale of sexual racism. Results Analyses revealed that White superiority (β = .10, p < .01), same-race rejection (β = .16, p < .001), and White physical objectification (β = .14, p < .01) were all significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, and White physical objectification (β = -.11, p < .01) was significantly associated with lower feelings of self-worth. Conclusions This study is among the first to examine the relationship between multiple, distinct manifestations of RSD and depressive symptoms and self-worth using quantitative analyses and provides evidence that RSD is negatively associated with psychological wellbeing. Policy Implications Site administrators should institute robust anti-racism policies on their platforms and hold users accountable for discriminatory behavior. Activists may also consider forming coalitions and/or developing campaigns to bring about greater awareness of RSD, in an effort to influence site administrators to enact policy change.

A Good App Is Hard to Find: Examining Differences in Racialized Sexual Discrimination across Online Intimate Partner-Seeking Venues

“…Contrary to predictions, we found no differences on White physical objectification, same-race rejection, or role assumptions frequencies based on primary venue. previous research, in which we found that same-race rejection was significantly associate with higher self-reported depressive symptomatology among YSMBM [45]. In this sam study, we found that White superiority was also associated with higher scores on depre sive symptoms, and our current study findings indicate that White superiority is encou tered much more frequently on Grindr compared with Jack'd.…”

“…If rejection from other Black users does not occur significantly more frequently on Jack’d than on Grindr, in spite of the purportedly higher number of Black users on Jack’d, this may indicate that YSMBM are more sought after on Jack’d in relative terms, based on the sociodemographic differences of these two dating environments. This may be particularly important in light of our previous research, in which we found that same-race rejection was significantly associated with higher self-reported depressive symptomatology among YSMBM [ 45 ]. In this same study, we found that White superiority was also associated with higher scores on depressive symptoms, and our current study findings indicate that White superiority is encountered much more frequently on Grindr compared with Jack’d.…”

“…Researchers have reported that various forms of RSD may be associated with negative psychological symptoms such as lower self-esteem, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, and self-identified stress [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. In a recent study, we reported on the association between multiple distinct manifestations of RSD and psychological wellbeing, using factors derived from the first psychometrically evaluated scale of RSD [ 45 ]. Among a large sample ( N = 603) of YSMBM, White superiority (e.g., the elevation of Whiteness as the most desirable characteristic in an intimate partner), rejection from Black men, and physical objectification from White men were all significantly associated with an increase in self-reported depressive symptoms.…”

Online Dating and Mental Health among Young Sexual Minority Black Men: Is Ethnic Identity Protective in the Face of Sexual Racism?

“…All study covariates performed identically to previous main effects analyses examining the relationship between RSD and psychological well-being. We discuss the implications of these associations at length in prior published work [ 31 ]. In addition, all three RSD subscales were associated with poorer psychological well-being ( H1 ), consistent with our prior work, as well as other scholars’ work examining sexual racism among sexual minority men of color [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…Recently, researchers have demonstrated links between RSD and negative health outcomes, such as anxiety and psychological distress—as well as lower self-esteem and well-being among sexual minority men of color [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. In a series of recent studies, we developed the first psychometrically evaluated scale of RSD and examined the association between RSD and psychological well-being among young sexual minority Black men (YSMBM) [ 30 , 31 ]. We found that encountering same-race rejection and White superiority when seeking intimate partners online was associated with higher depressive symptoms among YSMBM.…”