Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Marilyn Stern, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Rita Debate, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Acadia Buro, Ph.D.

Keywords

Intersectionality, LGBTQ, Mental Health, Public Health

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine our understanding regarding the intersection of both racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minority identities and its impact on the mental health of college students. A secondary data analysis of the Wake Forest University Wellbeing Assessment was utilized. The total number of participants was comprised of 528 students from a large research university in the Southeastern United States. For this study, new categories representing the intersection of race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic etc.) and sexual orientation/gender (LGBTQ, heterosexual, cisgender etc.) were created: double majority, single minority race/ethnicity, single minority sexual orientation/gender, and double minority. One-way ANOVA tests showed differences in rates of anxiety (p<.05), depression (p<.05), life satisfaction (p<.05), and belonging (p<.05), with participants who identified as double minority not only reporting higher levels of depression, but also lower levels of life satisfaction and belonging compared with double majority and single minority-race/ethnicity. Single minority-sexual orientation/gender participants were also observed with higher rates of anxiety and depression as well as lower rates of belonging compared to double majority and/or single minority-race/ethnicity. This study highlights the need for research with an intersectional framework that takes multiple social positions into account when assessing mental health in order to fully understand these individuals’ experiences and potentially develop population specific interventions.

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