Within the field of social justice, the levels of social support and discrimination perceived by marginalized groups is often highlighted. Typically, marginalized populations are less supported and subjected to more discrimination in society. As a result, their experiences can translate into outcomes such as that of their psychological well-being. LGBTQ+ individuals are amongst the most marginalized in society. This inner circle becomes smaller and more disadvantaged when considering sex, age and race. Women of color who identify as LGBTQ+ are considered to be a triple minority, they experience the most issues, yet the literature typically focuses on Caucasian populations. This study intends to close gaps within the literature by examining how social support and perceived discrimination influence psychological well-being in young African-American women in terms of positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. The results of four questionnaires will be analyzed through a series of regression analyses. It is expected that sexual orientation minorities will have lower levels of social support and higher levels of perceived discrimination, which will in turn present poorer outcomes of psychological well-being. Understanding these trends can contribute to the development of counseling treatment plans, as well the promotion of social equality.

Compared to European American women, African American women report more common depressive symptoms, such as sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. Emerging research suggests that African American women’s health outcomes, like depression, may be partially explained by women’s stress-coping behaviors. African American women experience various stressors in light of their intersectional race and gender identities. To cope with these stressors, they may use culturally-sanctioned coping strategies like John Henryism and Strong Black Womanhood (SBW) schema. John Henryism is described as a behavioral predisposition to actively cope with psychosocial environmental stressors, and SBW schema refers to a multidimensional construct internalized by many African American women to overcome oppression. John Henryism and SBW schema have shown to be both beneficial and detrimental to African American women’s health. Despite this understanding, there is little research on the relationship between these coping strategies and depression in African American women. The current study examines whether John Henryism and SBW schema differentially predict depressive symptoms among African American women, using linear regression analyses. We also investigate if emotion regulation mediates the relations between John Henryism and SBW schema and depressive symptoms among African American women. This presentation will discussion our results, limitations, and proposals for future research.

 
 
Colorism, the attribution of privilege or advantage based on the lightness or darkness of one’s skin, is a form of discrimination that negatively impacts the lives of Black men and women. Few researchers have explored the relationship between skin color satisfaction (SCS) and colorism, and the majority of those studies focused on women’s experiences of colorism because appearance is more salient for women. Thus, this study aimed to explore the relationship among SCS, Black racial identity and colorism among Black male and female college students. An online survey via Qualtrics was administered to 190 Black college students to test the hypothesis that SCS and Black racial identity will be negatively correlated to colorism. Also, it is hypothesized that gender will moderate the relationship between SCS and colorism. It is anticipated that higher levels of SCS and components of Black racial identity will be related to lower levels of colorism. Also, it is anticipated that gender will moderate the relationship between SCS and colorism, such that SCS would have a stronger negative relationship for Black women than men. These results contribute to existing literature on colorism and can enhance our knowledge on the various ways colorism may impact Black individuals.

Mental health, particularly mental illnesses are overlooked and seen as nonexistent in the African American community. Many people are not aware of the mental health issues that impoverished Black Queer people endure, “LGBTQ individuals are almost three times more likely than others to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder” (“National Alliance on Mental Health”). Research shows that queer identities are four more times likely to commit suicide or experience suicidal thoughts. If trauma and poverty is faced as a child, then the person is more than likely to develop serious mental health problems. I intend to analyze secondary sources and research on Black queer students/adults who have mental illness or have suffered from extreme mental health problems due to their markers of identity. My research will contribute to the scholarship in sexuality studies and public health.