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Community Connectedness, Challenges, and Resilience Among Gay Latino Immigrants
Author(s) -
Gray Nicole N.,
Mendelsohn David M.,
Omoto Allen M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-014-9697-4
Subject(s) - minority stress , social connectedness , stressor , feeling , immigration , psychology , transgender , lesbian , psychological resilience , social psychology , qualitative research , queer , sexual minority , sexual orientation , sociology , clinical psychology , political science , social science , law , psychoanalysis
To date, relatively little psychological research has focused on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Latino/a immigrants to the United States. This qualitative study used face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews to explore the unique sources of stress, challenges, as well as opportunities and factors related to resilience among 13 gay Latino first‐ and second‐generation immigrants. Iterative coding of interview transcripts revealed four key themes, each of which is illustrated with verbatim quotes: (1) feelings of connectedness to the LGBT community, (2) feelings of connectedness to the Latino/a community, (3) intersectional challenges and strategies, and (4) well‐being, strength, and resilience. As suggested by these themes, gay Latino immigrants have distinct sources of stress and conflict, many of them associated with community memberships, but also draw on unique sources of support and adaptive thoughts and behaviors in facing stressors. Implications for studying risk and resilience factors among stigmatized populations, including LGBT individuals and immigrants, are discussed.