LGBTQ+ Latino/a Youth Mental Health (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, School Psychologists, Counselors, and LMFTs

Course By: Michael Parent, PhD

Content By: Schmitz, R. M., Robinson, B. A., Tabler, J., Walch, B., & Rafaqut, S. (2020). LGBTQ+ Latino/a young people’s interpretations of stigma and mental health: An intersectional minority stress perspective. Society and Mental Health, 10, 163-179. doi: 10.1177/2156869319847248

Course Description: LGBTQ+ Latino/a youth face challenges at the intersections of race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and gender identity that can impact their mental health. The authors conducted a qualitative study using data from 41 LGBTQ+ Latino/a individuals. The researchers identified three major themes in participant responses: Latino/a identity and conceptions of structural racism, gender identity and experiences of gender policing, and LGBTQ+ identity and anti-LGBTQ+ religious discourses. The authors highlight the importance of considering multiple intersecting identities in understanding the mental health experiences of LGBTQ+ Latino/a youth. Future research may examine minority stress process within other marginalized racial/ethnic LGBTQ+ groups.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define minority stress and intersectionality
2. Explain the three main themes identified in this study
3. Name examples of participant experiences within each of the three main themes

Course Outline:

1. Read and understand LGBTQ+ Latino/a young people’s interpretations of stigma and mental health: An intersectional minority stress perspective.
2. Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives.
3. Review the findings of the study with regard to LGBTQ+ Latino/a young people experiences of stigma and mental health.
4. Complete the post-test questions. Recall that answers should be based on the referenced article.
5. Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to understand LGBTQ+ Latino/a young people experiences of stigma and mental health.

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e. gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).