Help-Seeking Patterns Among LGBTQ Young Adults Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) young adults, only little is known regarding gender identity disparities in this population. Furthermore, virtually no research has examined IPV-related help-seeking patterns among LGBTQ young adults, including whether there are gender identity disparities in these rates and whether specific services are most likely to be used by LGBTQ young adults across IPV type. Participants were 354 LGBTQ young adults (ages: 18-25, 33.6% transgender and gender nonconforming [TGNC]) who experienced IPV victimization during their lifetime. TGNC young adults experienced more identity abuse victimization and reported 2.06 times the odds of seeking medical services, 2.15 times the odds of seeking support services, and 1.66 times the odds of seeking mental health services compared to cisgender sexual minority young adults. LGBTQ young adults with physical abuse victimization reported 2.63 times the odds of seeking mental health services, 2.93 times the odds of seeking medical care, and 2.40 times the odds of seeking support services compared to LGBTQ young adults without physical abuse victimization. Finally, LGBTQ young adults with identity abuse reported 2.08 times the odds of seeking mental health services and 2.58 times the odds of seeking support services compared to LGBTQ young adults without identity abuse. These findings provide a more complete understanding of gender identity as both risk and protective factors for IPV and IPV-related help-seeking. This study also provides implications for training providers, service availability, and resource allocation for LGBTQ young adults with IPV victimization

Adverse childhood experiences exacerbate the association between day-to-day discrimination and mental health symptomatology in undergraduate students

Background: Background: Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and day-to-day discrimination (hereafter, “discrimination”) both contribute to mental health symptomatology in young adulthood, but how these constructs interact and whether they are associated with mental health remains unclear. This study evaluated whether the relation between discrimination in young adulthood and mental health symptomatology varied as a function of ACEs exposure. Methods: Undergraduates (n = 251) completed self-report measures related to ACEs, discrimination, and mental health symptomatology (i.e., depression, anxiety, somatization, and psychological distress). Linear and logistic regression models were implemented to test for potential exacerbation effects of ACEs on the relation between discrimination and mental health symptomatology. Results: Participants with greater discrimination exposure and ACEs reported significantly more depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms, along with more psychological distress, relative to those with less discrimination exposure and few or no ACEs. Limitations: Data were cross-sectional, thus, causality cannot be inferred. ACEs and discrimination measures examined ACE counts and general discrimination, respectively, which did not allow for examination of possible differences across specific ACEs (e.g., childhood sexual abuse vs. neglect) or specific types of discrimination (e.g., sexual-orientation-based discrimination vs. race-based discrimination). Conclusions: Conclusions: These results are among the first to inform the conceptualization of ACEs and discrimination in etiological models of young adults’ mental health. Both ACEs and discrimination, rather than exposure to only one of these stressors, may be synergistically associated with young adults’ mental health symptomatology. Clinicians could address stress-sensitive mental health issues by assessing for both ACEs and discrimination exposure

Help-Seeking Barriers Among Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experience intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization at disproportionate rates compared to cisgender and heterosexual individuals. Given the widespread consequences of experiencing IPV victimization, intervention and prevention strategies should identify readily accessible and culturally competent services for this population. SGM individuals who experience IPV victimization face unique individual-, interpersonal-, and systemic-level barriers to accessing informal and formal support services needed to recover from IPV. This chapter reviews IPV victimization prevalence rates among SGM individuals in the context of minority stress and highlights unique forms of IPV victimization affecting this population, namely identity abuse. The literature on help-seeking processes among IPV survivors in general and help-seeking patterns and barriers specifically among SGM individuals who experience IPV victimization in the context of minority stress (e.g., discrimination, internalized stigma, rejection sensitivity, identity concealment) are discussed. How minority stressors at individual, interpersonal, and structural levels act as barriers to help-seeking among SGM individuals experiencing IPV victimization is presented. The chapter concludes with a review of emerging evidence for interventions aimed at reducing help-seeking barriers among SGM individuals who face IPV victimization and a discussion of future directions for research on help-seeking barriers in this population

Gender diversity among sexual minority women: A systematic scoping review

According to Levitt (2019), sexual minority women’s (SMW’s) gender fulfills psychosocial needs for identity, security, belonging, and value across psychological, sexual, interpersonal, and cultural domains, indicating that gender is a critical construct in research with this understudied population. SMW’s gender identity (e.g., cisgender, genderqueer, gender fluid) and expression (e.g., appearance, gender roles, behaviors) often transcend traditional, heteronormative gender roles (Eagly, 2013; Feinberg, 1996; Halberstam, 1998; Levitt et al., 2012). Indeed, the gender binary fails to encompass all SMW, including those who were assigned male at birth, and reinforces essentialist notions of gender (Scheer et al., under review). Research shows that gender identity and expression serve as important predictors, moderators, and mediators of SMW’s mental and behavioral health. For instance, SMW’s gender identity can be protective against internalizing stigma-related experiences (Anderson, 2020; Levitt et al., 2012). For instance, feminine embodiment protects against body dissatisfaction among bisexual women but not lesbian women (Steele et al., 2019) whereas masculine embodiment has been associated with greater community support among SMW (Levitt et al., 2012). Additionally, SMW experience unique stressors (e.g., heterosexism and sexism) based on whether they challenge or adhere to hegemonic models of gender conformity (Scheer et al., under review). For example, SMW who identify their gender as non-binary or who are masculine-presenting deviate from, and resist conforming to society’s binary gender norms and thus may pose greater threat to male dominance and control over women (Connell, 1987; Horn, 2007; Lehavot & Lambert, 2007). One study demonstrated that women with relatively masculine personality traits (e.g., assertive, dominant, independent) experienced more sexual harassment than women with relatively feminine personality traits (e.g., modesty, deference, warmth; Berdahl, 2007). In contrast, feminine-presenting, cisgender SMW tend to report experiencing more objectification than masculine-presenting SMW, in part because SMW who conform to female gender stereotypes are often eroticized and viewed as sexual objects by cisgender men (Hequembourg & Brallier, 2009; Kury et al., 2004; Levitt et al., 2003; Levitt & Hiestand, 2004). Further, some (including cisgender SMW) may question the authenticity and legitimacy of someone’s sexual minority status based on their sex assigned at birth and current gender identity and expression. Such assumptions may reinforce a sense of biological superiority of SMW who identify as cisgender compared to those who identify as transgender, genderqueer, or non-binary (Scheer et al., under review). Moreover, SMW who transcend heteronormative gender-role constructions often experience others stigmatizing their gender fluidity (Scheer et al., under review). These findings underscore the complexity of SMW’s experiences of sexism based on gender identity and expression. SMW’s mental health challenges are often related to society’s commitment to a gender binary system and women’s structural mistreatment (Scheer et al., under review). Indeed, gender-based violence and discrimination can develop into negative feelings and beliefs about one’s gender and sexuality (Lehavot & Simoni, 2011; Puckett et al., 2016; Thoma et al., 2021) which, in turn, elevates risk for health-depleting behaviors, such as substance misuse (Hughes et al., 2020; Lehavot & Simoni, 2011; Rosario et al., 2008; Smalley et al., 2016) or avoidance of medical services (Hiestand et al., 2007). Regardless of whether SMW transgress traditional gender roles, many report feeling powerlessness in navigating experiences of gender-based stressors (Scheer et al., under review). Moreover, SMW tend to distort parts of themselves, such as by concealing their non-binary gender identities, to avoid victimization or stigmatization. Prior research (Jordan & Hartling, 2002; Scheer et al., under review; Szymanski et al., 2016), suggest that such self-silencing can interfere with SMW’s ability to live authentically and can lead to feelings of shame and self-blame. Nevertheless, despite the clear implications for prevention science and clinical intervention, SMW’s gender identity and expression is underexamined. A contemporary, systematic mapping of how SMW identify and express their gender would advance applied research with this population and may inform basic research on gender diversity among SMW

Informal and Formal Mentoring of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: A Systematic Review

Research demonstrates that mentoring relationships can promote positive outcomes for youth across numerous domains, a topic of importance to school social workers. Whereas most mentoring research to date has been conducted with heterosexual cisgender youth, there is a growing body of literature that examines mentoring experiences among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). The purpose of this article is to conduct a systematic literature review of informal and formal mentoring experiences among SGMY. Results from twelve studies that met inclusion criteria suggested that (1) the majority of SGMY report having a mentor/role model; (2) demographics are generally unrelated to having a mentor; (3) SGMY seek out mentors with certain characteristics; (4) mentors promote positive outcomes across psychosocial, behavioral, and academic domains; and (5) mentors report varying levels of self-efficacy in mentoring SGMY and disparate motivations for becoming a mentor. Several limitations of the extant literature were identified, underscoring the need for methodologically rigorous and more inclusive research. Nevertheless, preliminary research suggests that SGMY benefit from having a mentor and that efforts are needed to safely connect SGMY to high-quality informal or formal mentors

Help-Seeking Barriers Among Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experience intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization at disproportionate rates compared to cisgender and heterosexual individuals. Given the widespread consequences of experiencing IPV victimization, intervention and prevention strategies should identify readily accessible and culturally competent services for this population. SGM individuals who experience IPV victimization face unique individual-, interpersonal-, and systemic-level barriers to accessing informal and formal support services needed to recover from IPV. This chapter reviews IPV victimization prevalence rates among SGM individuals in the context of minority stress and highlights unique forms of IPV victimization affecting this population, namely identity abuse. The literature on help-seeking processes among IPV survivors in general and help-seeking patterns and barriers specifically among SGM individuals who experience IPV victimization in the context of minority stress (e.g., discrimination, internalized stigma, rejection sensitivity, identity concealment) are discussed. How minority stressors at individual, interpersonal, and structural levels act as barriers to help-seeking among SGM individuals experiencing IPV victimization is presented. The chapter concludes with a review of emerging evidence for interventions aimed at reducing help-seeking barriers among SGM individuals who face IPV victimization and a discussion of future directions for research on help-seeking barriers in this population