The mental health needs of foreign-born (FB) Latinx lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth have been rarely studied and deserve examination. FB Latinx LGBT youth are likely to be fleeing from trauma in their countries of origin, experiencing in-transit trauma en route to the U.S., or experiencing acculturation-related traumas upon arrival. The corresponding result is likely to be unusually high levels of stress and poor mental health. Add to these traumas the strain of having a stigmatized LGBT identity, and mental health burden is likely to be even more elevated. Thus, the intersectional impact of being a FB, Latinx, and LGBT youth likely leads to serious poor mental health, warranting investigation into this underrepresented population. Indeed, pilot study findings confirm that youth who are both Latinx and LGB (non-transgender) are at high risk for school and sexual trauma and mental health burden, especially suicidality. However, trauma and mental health among youth who are both Latinx and transgender remains largely unknown. Pilot study findings also indicate that FB Latinx youth (non-LGBT) suffer from high rates of trauma and mental health burden, including suicidality. However, trauma and mental health among FB Latinx LGBT youth remains predominantly unexplored.
Aim 1 is to quantitatively assess trauma and mental health among Latinx transgender youth using YRBS 2017 data. The main hypothesis is that Latinx transgender youth will report the highest levels of school and sexual trauma, depression, and suicidality compared to other youth defined by different racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity categories.
Aim 2 is to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of trauma and mental health among FB Latinx LGBT youth. To achieve Aim 2, 12 FB Latinx LGBT youth will be interviewed (or until saturation is reached) using a narrative-design life-history approach, and findings will be analyzed thematically and chronologically.
Aim 3 is to integrate Aim 1 and Aim 2 findings to produce a meaningful meta-inference via a convergent-parallel mixed- methods design framework and a comparative convergent-divergent synthesis strategy. The proposed mixed- methods study will be guided by the minority stress theory, which emphasizes the impact of LGBT stigma on stress and mental health, and the intersectionality framework, which emphasizes the impact of intersectional social identity membership and oppressive experiences on mental health. The study will provide one of the first quantitative subgroup analyses to date examining trauma and mental health specifically among Latinx transgender youth and one of the first in-depth qualitative understandings of trauma and mental health among FB Latinx LGBT youth. This research will help improve mental health care practice for Latinx LGBT youth (especially transgender and FB) and encourage more investigation into their mental health. Lastly, this research will help the principal investigator achieve his long-term goal of becoming an independent mental health researcher committed to improving mental health among Latinx and LGBT youth, well-position him for a post- doctoral or assistant professor position, and set a strong foundation for a future F32 or K01 NIH grant application.
Latino LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) youth may be at increased risk for trauma and poor mental health, especially those that are foreign-born due to their risk of experiencing traumas in their home countries and during migration to the United States. The current study seeks to explore trauma and mental health among Latino transgender youth using the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, as this specific group has been underrepresented in mental health research, and also among foreign-born Latino LGBT youth via conducting interviews. The findings from this research will be able to inform practice in school, health, mental health, child welfare, and immigration systems that serve Latino LGBT youth (including foreign-born) and help improve mental health among these vulnerable individuals.
