3 - (SYM 9) Racial Minority Status in the Relationship of Homophobic Discrimination and Suicidal Ideation: An Intersectional Perspective

Background: Sexual and gender minority individuals are at elevated risk for suicidal ideation (SI) compared to cisgender heterosexual individuals (Horwitz et al., 2020). This elevated risk has been attributed, in part, to homophobic victimization, harassment, and discrimination (Bouris et al., 2016; Henry et al., 2021). Additionally, estimates of risk for SI and suicidal behavior differ between different racial groups (Bommersbach et al., 2022). Despite differences in rates of SI in sexual and racial minority groups, there is limited research on the interactive effect of racial identity and homophobic discrimination on SI. Therefore, a moderation analysis was conducted to examine whether the relationship between frequency of homophobic discrimination and SI differed based on racial minority status in a sample of sexual and gender minority individuals.

Methods: 304 adults (88.4% gay or lesbian, 10.5% bisexual or pansexual, 0.3% asexual, 3.6% transgender, and 1.3% gender non-conforming or other), recruited from online LGBTQ-related forums and listservs, completed an online survey. Questionnaires assessed frequency of homophobic discrimination via the Heterosexist Harassment, Rejection, and Discrimination Scale (HHRDS; Szymanski, 2006) and SI via the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS; Beck & Steer, 1991). Race was dichotomized to reflect White (40.1%) versus non-White (59.9%) racial identity.

Results: There were no significant differences in SI between White and non-White participants (t = .71, p = .481), but non-White participants tended to report lower HHRDS scores (t = -4.14, p < .001). Regression analyses revealed there was a significant interaction between HHRDS and racial minority status (β = -.60, p < .001, sp2 = .082) in predicting SI. Specifically, the relationship between HHRDS and SI was significant and positive among White participants (B = .70, SE = .10, p < .001), but not non-White participants (B = .02, SE = .08, p = .80).

Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of considering intersectionality of identities in analysis of the impact of social factors on mental health outcomes. The lack of relationship between HHRDS and SI for racial minority participants suggests that the impact of homophobic discrimination on mental health differs based on one’s racial identity. Future research should explore different race- and sexuality-related factors that might account for this difference, such as experiences of race-based discrimination and identity centrality.