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Community Connectedness, Challenges, and Resilience Among Gay Latino Immigrants

  • Original Article
  • Published:
American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R03HD067407. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University, 123 E. 8th Street, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

    Nicole N. Gray, David M. Mendelsohn & Allen M. Omoto

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  1. Nicole N. Gray
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  2. David M. Mendelsohn
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  3. Allen M. Omoto
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Correspondence to Nicole N. Gray.

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Gray, N.N., Mendelsohn, D.M. & Omoto, A.M. Community Connectedness, Challenges, and Resilience Among Gay Latino Immigrants. Am J Community Psychol 55, 202–214 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9697-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9697-4

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