Symposia
LGBQT+
Ava K. Fergerson, M.S.
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Aleksandrs T. Karnick, M.P.H., M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Nicole Caulfield, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS
Dan Capron, PhD
Associate Professor
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Background:
Sexual minority women (SMW) are at greater risk for exposure to general stressors and stressors specifically related to their minority identities (Meyer, 2003), including stressors that increase their risk for sexual victimization and developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS; Ploderl & Tremblay, 2015; Walters et al., 2013). Although these experiences relate to risk for PTSS, SMW are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder at rates beyond what can be explained by increased likelihood of experiencing a traumatic event alone (Weiss et. al., 2015). The psychological mediation framework (Hatzenbuehler, 2009) suggests that minority-specific stressors may explain differences in associations between general stressors and adverse mental health outcomes among SMW.
It is expected that experiences of heterosexism and sexual victimization severity, respectively, would be associated with increased internalized heterosexism, posttraumatic cognitions, and perceived peer Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA), which will be associated with increased PTSS severity.
Method: Participants were 544 SMW ages 18+ who completed an online survey.
Results: Comparative fit index for the original model indicated unacceptable model fit, CFI=.57, RMSEA=.303 (90%CI[.28, .33], p< .001), SRMSR=.166, X2(10)=506.2, p< .001. Model fit improved with the following modifications: regress PTC blame onto internalized heterosexism and correlate posttraumatic cognitions self, world, and blame with each other, CFI=.98, RMSEA=.079 (90%CI[.05, .11], p=.052), SRMSR=.041. Posttraumatic cognitions about self and world had positive indirect effects in the heterosexist experiences – PTSS relationship. Posttraumatic cognitions about blame, internalized heterosexism, and perceived peer RMA had negative indirect effects in the experiences of heterosexism – PTSS relationship. Posttraumatic cognitions about self and world and internalized heterosexism had positive indirect effects in the sexual victimization severity – PTSS relationship. Posttraumatic cognitions about blame had a negative indirect effect in the sexual victimization severity – PTSS relationship. Perceived peer RMA did not indirectly effect in the sexual victimization severity – PTSS relationship.
Discussion: Results support that sexual-violence-supportive norms influence SMW survivors’ mental health via minority-specific and general and distal stressors, suggesting that SMW survivors should be screened for posttraumatic cognitions and experiences of heterosexism.