At the Intersection of Racism and Heterosexism: Mental Health Risks for Black Sexual Minorities Youth

Abstract

Black sexual minority (SM) youth experience elevated exposure to racism, heterosexism, and other forms of discrimination, placing them at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes. The present study examined differences in internalizing symptoms and suicidality among Black SM youth, White SM youth, and Black heterosexual youth and investigated whether racial discrimination, sexual minority discrimination, or both were associated with mental health outcomes among Black SM youth. Results indicated significant group differences in internalizing symptoms and suicidality. White SM youth reported significantly higher internalizing symptoms than Black heterosexual youth, whereas Black SM youth demonstrated marginally higher internalizing symptoms than Black heterosexual youth. Both Black and White SM youth reported significantly higher rates of suicidality than Black heterosexual youth. However, Black and White SM youth did not differ significantly from one another on either outcome. Among Black SM youth, experiences of racial and sexual minority discrimination were not significantly associated with internalizing symptoms or suicidality. These findings highlight elevated mental health risks among sexual minority youth while underscoring the complexity of understanding the role of discrimination among Black SM youth.