Examining mental and sexual health themes in Latina youth zines: A multi-modal content analysis

Multiple, convergent risk factors place Latina youth at disproportionate risk for mental and sexual health issues. Yet, their firsthand perspectives and experiential knowledge of how to navigate mental and sexual health challenges is rarely the subject of scholarly inquiry. This article presents a multi-modal content analysis of themes and messages conveyed by two digital zines created by Latina young adults for Latina teens through an arts-based research project. In this arts-based research, zines functioned as both data and method, capturing Latina youth’s nuanced perspectives and lived experiences of mental and sexual health. We identified six themes in their works—acknowledging and breaking mental health stigma, straddling two worlds, celebrating strengths, relationship values and expectations, redefining womanhood, and exploring and embracing sexuality. Findings are interpreted through a model of socioecological resilience to reveal the processes through which participants navigate adversity and foster resilience. This study highlights how Latina young people use creative expression to assert their agency in matters of mental and sexual health despite multi-level barriers, offering novel insights and practical implications for health promotion.