The Relationship Between Intersectional Oppression and Affirmation and Latino Sexual Minority Men's Mental Health

Purpose: Latino sexual minority men (LSMM) may experience oppression based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation, and migratory status, yet scientific literature is only beginning to explore the intersection of these experiences. This study examined mental health (MH) in relation to LSMM's experiences of intersectional oppression and affirmation. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data from a cohort study examining LSMM's (n = 290) health care engagement in Miami, FL, from February to September 2020. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified classes based on self-reported multiple identity discrimination (e.g., race, ethnicity, and skin color), sexual orientation stigma/affirmation, and migration-related stress. Logistic and linear regressions examined associations between class membership and anxious, depressive, post-traumatic stress, somatic symptoms, and overall MH burden. Results: The LCA revealed a three-class solution: (1) affirmed LSMM (73.8%), (2) LSMM with intersectional oppression (21.7%), and (3) LSMM with immigration stress (4.5%). The three classes varied in terms of multiple identity discrimination, sexual orientation stigma/affirmation, and migration-related stress. Compared with Class 1, Class 2 had greater conditional probabilities of reporting clinically significant depressive (p = 0.033) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (p = 0.031), and at least one MH concern (p = 0.018). Greater depressive symptoms (p = 0.007), post-traumatic stress symptoms (p = 0.049), somatic symptoms (p = 0.024), and clinically significant MH concerns (p = 0.018) were found among Class 2 than among Class 1. Conclusion: Findings identified three groups of LSMM based on their experiences of intersectional oppression and affirmation. Discrimination at the intersection of multiple identities, sexual orientation stigma/affirmation, and migration-related stress were associated with LSMM's MH outcomes, particularly among immigrants.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between the experiences of oppression based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, and migratory status and mental health outcomes of Latino sexual minority men (LSMM). Three distinct classes of LSMM were identified based on their experiences of intersectional oppression and affirmation, with discrimination at the intersection of multiple identities, sexual orientation stigma/affirmation, and migration-related stress being associated with worse mental health outcomes, particularly among immigrants.