ReviewTrauma and latinx sexual- and gender-minority immigrants in the U.S.
Introduction
People from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and other Latin American countries experience health and mental health consequences associated with fleeing socio-political and economic instability as well as facing life-threatening conditions and pervasive xenophobic hostility [1], [2∗], [3]. Latinx immigrants are considered at risk for experiencing trauma and developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [4], and the emerging research over the past five years suggests that risk is magnified for those individuals who also identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, or questioning (i.e., sexual-gender minority; SGM) [5].
In the year 2019 the United Nations Human Rights Office called for immediate legislative protections and clinical interventions focused on SGM immigrants and refugees due to their risk for being victimized physically and emotionally, including undergoing forced heterosexual marriages, conversion therapy, and even “corrective” sexual assault and rape [6]. The empirical literature on trauma as it pertains to racially-ethnically diverse SGM immigrants, however, remains limited with respect to an integrated theoretical conceptualization that identifies risk factors and pathways for intervention [5]. This is concerning when considering that Latinx SGM immigrants residing in the US are part of one of the largest and rapidly growing ethnically diverse populations in the nation [7]. The Williams Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles estimated almost a decade ago that more than 1 million Latinx SGM immigrants reside in the US [8]. It is important, therefore, to articulate the key dimensions of traumatology relevant to the experiences of Latinx SGM immigrants in order to further an integrated understanding of the available literature as well as promote new research and evidence-based clinical practices.
The proceeding sections provide an overview and synthesis of recent literature obtained through search engines like PsycInfo and MEDLINE. Conceptualization begins with a discussion of potential stress factors including acculturation, their impact on psycho-social functioning, and the role of socially supportive care. The paper concludes with a summary and illustration of overarching themes relevant to trauma among this under researched population.
Section snippets
Trauma exposure and latinx SGM immigrants
Pervasive socio-cultural norms across Latin America and the US are rooted in racist hetero-cisgender patriarchy and, subsequently, predispose Latinx people who are also a sexual-gender minority (i.e., SGM) for experiencing anti-SGM discrimination, harassment, and persecutorial violence from not only the state but also members of their family and community [9], [10∗]. Unsafe conditions along with social isolation can force Latinx SGMs into sexual migration, which involves leaving or fleeing
Conclusion
Figure 1 illustratively summarizes key aspects of trauma exposure and response factors that are relevant to Latinx SGM immigrants in the US. Across different sociocultural environments they face the risk of repeated exposure to a range of traumatic stressors perpetrated by individuals, groups, and institutions operating within interlocking systems of oppression including racism, xenophobia, and hetero cissexism. Simultaneously, interconnected local factors that can positively influence mental
Conflict of interest statement
Nothing declared.
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