INTERSECTIONAL DISCRIMINATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY PEOPLE OF COLOR: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Sexual/gender minority (SGM) people of color (PoC) are a growing population within the United States. Almost 30% of adults between 18 and 25 identify as a SGM. Due to their minoritized status and increased stress exposure, they are at a high risk of cognitive impairments (Meyer, 2008). This investigation is a descriptive study of executive functioning and intersectional discrimination in SGM PoC University students. Participants were Hispanic (n = 14), Asian American (n = 3), Black/African American (n = 1), and Bi/multiracial (n = 4) sexual/gender minority university students at California State University, Fullerton. Participants' intersectional discrimination was measured using the Intersectional Discrimination Index. In contrast, their executive functioning was assessed via the Trail Making Test-Part B and the Digit Span test via the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Findings revealed four bisexual females in the sample scored above the mean on daily and major discrimination respective to their subsample means. No other sexual minority (SM) group had scores above the mean on daily and major discrimination for their respective sub-group means. Findings suggest that not all experiences of discrimination may be related to lower executive functioning. Further research is needed to understand the unique associations between intersectional minority stress and neuropsychological functioning using inferential statistics. However, results provide important implications for incorporating intersectional minority stress in clinical neuropsychology and emphasize the importance of selecting equitable assessments for diverse minority groups.