Treating Sexual Problems in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients

Cohen, Kenneth M.; Savin‐Williams, Ritch C.

doi:10.1002/9781118510384.ch17

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…However, individuals with multiple marginalized identities often feel pressured to sublimate one identity in favor of another (Finnerty et al, 2017). Black sexual minority individuals may feel compelled to prioritize their Blackness over their queer identity to reduce the threat of ostracization and comply with community respectability politics (Cohen & Savin-Williams, 2017). Prioritizing one marginalized identity over another, to preserve the social and community relationships necessary to navigating a world hostile to Black people is a unique experience of Black SMW.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Thorpe¹,

Malone²,

Hargons³

2022

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

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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...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%