Intersectional discrimination, psychological distress, and physical health symptoms among Latine sexual minority adults.

Latine sexual minority adults report discrimination related to their minoritized identities (racism, heterosexism) and at the intersection of those identities (racism in the LGBTQ+ community, heterosexism in one's racial/ethnic community). Much research has supported the additive effects of single-identity discrimination (racism and heterosexism) on mental health problems; however, less research has examined the role of intersectional discrimination in physical health symptoms and how psychological distress may account for that association. The current study examined the associations between intersectional discrimination with physical symptom severity and tested psychological distress as a potential underlying mechanism. Using cross-sectional data from 320 Latine sexual minority adults (age range 18-70; M = 30.5, SD = 9.6), a structural equation model estimated the association between two intersectional discrimination variables (i.e., racism in the LGBTQ+ community and heterosexism in one's racial/ethnic community) with physical symptom severity and tested their indirect effects via psychological distress. Results revealed that greater heterosexism in one's racial/ethnic community was associated with higher physical symptom severity; there was a significant indirect effect via psychological distress. Racism in the LGBTQ+ community was not a significant predictor in the model. These results highlight the importance of applying an intersectional framework to measuring stigma and discrimination. Findings also provide initial support for psychological distress as a potential underlying mechanism through which discrimination contributes to poorer physical health among Latine sexual minority adults. These results can inform interventions that aim to promote psychological and physical health among this population by mitigating the detrimental effects of intersectional discrimination.