Queer, transgender, and nonbinary (QTNB) Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) experience distinct forms of oppression that can become internalized, further heightening this population's risk of developing mental health concerns. While there is a growing movement to uplift the experiences of resilience and coping among QTNB-BIPOC, few have specifically focused on experiences of healing from internalized oppression. Using an intersectional framework and interpretative phenomenological analysis, we interviewed 34 QTNB-BIPOC regarding their experiences of healing from internalized oppression. After examining the qualitative data, member-checking procedures with participants further refined and validated themes. Findings support three broad themes: (a) affirming contexts as a vehicle for healing, (b) journeys of self-healing, and (c) QTNB-BIPOC collective healing, wisdom, and solidarity. QTNB-BIPOC reported experiences of individual and collective healing practices that aided in their own well-being and gave back to future generations of QTNB-BIPOC. We provide ways for researchers, practitioners, and advocates to engage in initiatives that aid the healing of QTNB-BIPOC communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

OBJECTIVES:This study introduces the LGBTQ+ People of Color Microaggressions Scale-2 (LGBTQ+ PCMS-2), a multidimensional measure of intersectional microaggressions for LGBTQ+ people of color. METHOD:The scale was developed using a mixed methods approach that included a qualitative phase (N = 12) to develop the scale items and a quantitative phase (N = 605) to validate the items. RESULTS:Psychometric analyses showed that the LGBTQ+ PCMS-2 comprises seven subscales. Results supported this scale's structural, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. CONCLUSIONS:The LGBTQ+ PCMS-2 can better account for mental health problems when tested against the current leading measure of intersectional microaggressions. Three key strengths of the LGBTQ+ PCMS-2 include the following: (a) It is the only intersectional microaggressions measure currently available to include all three forms of microaggressions faced by LGBTQ+ people of color (racism, heterosexism, and cissexism), (b) it introduces three novel domains of intersectional microaggressions, and (c) it has evidence supporting its wide applicability for LGBTQ+ people of color with diverse racial/ethnic identities, sexual identities, gender identities, and ages. The additions of these features make the LGBTQ+ PCMS-2 the most comprehensive and widely applicable measure of intersectional microaggressions to date. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Research suggests that sociopolitical uncertainty is linked to decreased perceived safety and worse mental health outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety) among LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ young adults who are exposed to accepting family environments, such as experiencing more caregiver acceptance, often feel safer and report less negative mental health outcomes in the face of sociopolitical uncertainty. This suggests that caregiver acceptance may play a mediating role in the relationship between perceived election safety and negative mental health outcomes among LGBTQ+ young adults. Drawing on contextual relational uncertainty model, the current study tested this mediation among 460 LGBTQ+ young adults (Mage = 21.6) living within the context of the 2024 United States presidential election. Findings show that LGBTQ+ young adults who felt safer in the face of uncertain sociopolitical events (i.e., election cycle) reported more acceptance from their caregivers, which in turn was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing negative mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety). This mediation was particularly evident for participants with minoritized gender identities and plurisexual identities. These findings highlight the importance of promoting a supportive and accepting family context when preventing or reducing the possible negative effects of uncertain sociopolitical events on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young adults.

This study aims to explore the associations between multiple psychosocial resources at the individual-level (personal resilience) and at the family and community levels (social support from significant other, social support from family, social support from friends, and caregiver acceptance) and two mental health outcomes (psychological well-being and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms) among 460 (Mage = 21.6 years) lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) young adults. Personal resilience was the resource most strongly associated with both outcomes. Moreover, higher social support from significant others and from friends were related with higher well-being. Higher social support from family was associated with decreased PTSD symptoms. Findings indicate that different sources of social support are differentially associated with mental health outcomes, with support from one's significant other and friends being more closely linked with well-being and support from family with PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, findings point to the importance of mental health providers incorporating various psychosocial resources when working with LGBTQ+ young adults.

Effeminacy remains a highly policed and racialised site of gender regulation, particularly for racialised queer men navigating migration. Drawing on interviews with six Brazilian queer men living in Canada, this qualitative study examines how effeminacy stigma is experienced, reproduced and resisted within diasporic queer spaces. Guided by frameworks of queer diaspora, postcolonial masculinity and intersectional approaches to health and belonging, the analysis illustrates how migration reconfigures colonial scripts of masculinity through whiteness, homonormativity and peer policing in Canadian 2SLGBTQIA + contexts. Participants described masculinity as a form of social currency that structured safety, desirability and belonging, often requiring self-monitoring. At the same time, themes revealed moments of resistance enacted through language, affect and embodiment, where effeminacy was reclaimed as a site of dignity, relational connection and self-definition. By centring Brazilian queer men-a population understudied in North American queer migration research-the study contributes to critical scholarship on queer diaspora, effeminacy stigma and health and well-being. The findings call for critical attention to intra-community hierarchies that undermine belonging and shape health-relevant experiences among racialised queer migrants.

Transwomen in Pakistan, or Khawaja Siras, face rejection and discrimination from family members, including experiencing harassment and other forms of abuse. Given family rejection, transwomen are forced to leave their homes and live with designated mentors (gurus), or friends, from whom they receive housing and support for their basic needs. Interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory posits that parental rejection during childhood affects the psychological outcomes as adults. In a sample of 1,822 Pakistani participants (594 cismen, 581 ciswomen, and 647 transwomen), and guided by interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory, the current study aimed to investigate the influence of parental rejection in childhood on participants' current psychological well-being, as well as the role of friend's acceptance as a buffer between parental rejection and psychological well-being. Findings show that cisgender participants, both men and women, reported more support from both their mothers and fathers and higher psychological well-being than transwomen. In addition, while all participants reported support from their friends, transwomen reported higher levels of support from friends than their cisgender counterparts. We discuss implications for future research such as collecting data from transmen and further investigating the role of other forms of relationships (e.g., romantic relationships) in the psychological well-being of transgender Pakistani people.

This special issue highlights cutting-edge applications of psychological theory and science to the well-being and health of transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (trans) people in the United States in the context of sweeping state and federal-level anti-trans legislation and executive actions. The 16 articles in this special issue demonstrate rigorous, creative, intersectional, and equity-focused approaches across multiple subdisciplines by psychologists working in numerous sectors and settings (e.g., higher education, health care, government) to promote the health and civil rights of trans people. In this introduction, we contextualize these new findings with historical and contemporary considerations impacting the trans community and psychologists' ethical responsibilities to respond to the structural, institutional, interpersonal, and intrapsychic impacts of anti-trans prejudice, discrimination, and oppression when engaging professionally with gender diverse people, their families, and other professionals and organizations that serve them. We close by highlighting actions that all psychologists can take to support trans people during this period of heightened sociopolitical stress. As state and federal governing bodies continue to advance harmful policies, these developments will likely have profound and long-lasting implications for the health, well-being, and freedoms of trans people, as well as for the education, training, and practice of psychologists. We therefore call on psychologists to actively advocate alongside trans communities, provide meaningful support, and expand access to affirming resources within this increasingly oppressive sociopolitical climate. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Health care barriers are linked to family-level stress. This study examined how barriers to gender-affirming health care were associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms among parents of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth (ages 9-18). Parents of TGD youth from across the United States completed a survey on barriers to accessing gender-affirming health care for their child, as well as on their own anxiety and depressive symptoms (n = 1197). Experiencing barriers to gender-affirming health care were associated with higher parent anxiety and depressive symptoms, suggesting that limiting service access is linked with negative outcomes among parents of TGD youth.

LGBTQ + emerging adults who are rejected by their caregivers often experience negative mental health outcomes, lower resilience, and decreased ability to establish positive social support networks. The current study used a sample of 460 LGBTQ + emerging adults (ages 18-25, Mage = 21.6) to examine the relationships between caregiver rejection and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Also, we examined the mediating role of psychosocial resources at the individual level (i.e., resilience) and community level (i.e., social support from significant other, family, and friends) in the relationship between caregiver rejection and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Resilience, but not social support, partially mediated the positive relationships between caregiver rejection and all mental health outcomes. Findings suggest that although early exposure to caregiver rejection is associated with a diminished ability to develop intrapersonal resilience, LGBTQ + emerging adults who are rejected by their caregivers may still develop strong social support networks that shield them from the negative psychological effects of early rejection.

Latine lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth in the United States (U.S.) experience compounded forms of oppression that increase vulnerability to both school-based and cyberbullying. Guided by the Minority Stress Theory (MST) and the Temporal Intersectional Minority Stress Model (TIMSM), this study examined how intersectional bullying relates to future outlook among Latine LGBTQ+ youth, and whether internalized stigma, depression, and caregiver acceptance mediate or moderate these associations. Data were drawn from a national U.S. sample of 1772 Latine LGBTQ+ adolescents aged 13-18. Participants completed validated measures assessing intersectional school and cyberbullying, LGBTQ+ internalized stigma, depression-anxiety, caregiver acceptance, and beliefs about the future. Serial indirect-effects and moderation analyses were conducted. Both school-based bullying and cyberbullying were indirectly associated with more negative beliefs about the future through increased LGBTQ+ internalized stigma and depressive/anxiety symptoms. Cyberbullying demonstrated slightly stronger links to internalized stigma, whereas school bullying was more closely tied to depressive/anxiety outcomes. LGBTQ+ caregiver acceptance at high levels significantly buffered the effects of both forms of bullying on internalized stigma and depression. Findings underscore the cumulative impact of intersectional bullying on Latine LGBTQ+ youths' mental health and future outlook within the U.S. sociocultural context. Culturally responsive interventions that strengthen caregiver acceptance, promote affirming school climates, and address digital victimization are essential for fostering resilience and hope among Latine LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer emerging adults' exposure to various forms of discrimination and systemic oppression increases their risk for negative mental health outcomes. Yet, access to factors that promote resilience contribute to positive mental health outcomes. Most research that incorporates individual-level and interpersonal-level resilience factors uses variable-centered approaches, which assume homogeneity and average effects that may obscure different patterns of resilience. To address this gap, in a sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer emerging adults (N = 460), this study used a person-centered approach (i.e., latent profile analysis) and multiple regressions to examine differences in three mental health outcomes (i.e., psychological well-being, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms) on one individual-level (i.e., personal resilience) and two family/community-level (i.e., caregiver acceptance, social support) psychosocial resources. A five-profile solution emerged: (1) high intrapersonal and interpersonal strengths; (2) low intrapersonal and interpersonal strengths; (3) accepted by caregivers, moderately resilient, and socially supported; (4) accepted by caregivers and moderately resilient, but not socially supported; and (5) not accepted by caregivers but moderately resilient and socially supported. Findings show that the probability of belonging to the profile with high resources was associated with lower depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as higher psychological well-being. Furthermore, social support was associated with well-being above and beyond personal resilience and caregiver acceptance. Last, caregiver acceptance was linked with lower depression and anxiety symptoms, above and beyond personal resilience and social support. Results highlight the complex interplay between resilience factors and mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer emerging adults. We discuss implications for theory, practice, and advocacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Parents of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth navigate various fears within a sociopolitical context that increasingly target their children's rights, safety, and access to care. The secondary minority stress model shows how parents of TGD youth experience minority stress while navigating systems for and with their children, contributing to mental health difficulties, including worry and fear. However, this framework primarily conceptualizes fear at the level of individual stress processes and does not fully interrogate the structural systems that produce and sustain these conditions. Drawing from Liberation Psychology, we conceptualize parental fear as a rational, relational, and socially produced response to systemic oppression rather than individual pathology. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed the greatest fears reported by 1,047 parents of TGD youth across the United States. Our findings identified five key themes of fear concerning (1) violence, (2) mental health difficulties, (3) interpersonal factors, (4) discrimination, and (5) medical concerns. Guided by Liberation Psychology, our findings situate these fears as natural responses to systems that marginalize and devalue TGD children and their families. This study underscores the importance of interrogating structures of oppression, such as legislation, institutional practices, and cultural narratives, and their effects on TGD youth and their families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Although family acceptance varies across cultural contexts, it consistently predicts wellness among LGBTQ+ people. We validated a Spanish-language adaptation of the LGBTQ+ Caregiver Acceptance Scale (LCAS-S) to assess culturally grounded expressions of acceptance and rejection among Spanish-speaking Latinx caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth. Following procedures from the LCAS development study, the 40-item measure was translated and back-translated using established guidelines to ensure linguistic and conceptual equivalence. A total of 256 Spanish-speaking Latinx caregivers participated, representing 15 countries of origin; the largest groups were born in the United States (46%), Mexico (20%), Puerto Rico (12%), and Cuba (6%). Scale validation included internal consistency reliability, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and convergent validity testing with established measures of caregiver acceptance, family functioning, and homonegativity. The LCAS-S demonstrated strong overall reliability (α = .89) and yielded a six-factor structure: Concealment and Respeto, Supportive Actions, Public Opinion, Fear of Family Rejection, Affirming the LGBTQ+ Child's Place in the Family, and Outness. The factor structure both overlapped with and diverged meaningfully from the English version. Convergent validity patterns aligned with theoretical expectations, with restrictive dimensions correlating positively with family conflict and homonegativity and affirming dimensions correlating positively with acceptance-related constructs. Findings provide preliminary empirical support for the LCAS-S as a culturally and linguistically responsive tool for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand and promote acceptance among Spanish-speaking Latinx caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth in the United States.

This study investigates the joint influences of cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages on psychological distress among LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) individuals. We examined whether the impact of cultural socialization messages is moderated by preparation for bias messages, and whether there is an indirect effect from cultural socialization to psychological distress through racial/ethnic and LGBTQ+ identity pride. The study included a sample of 605 LGBTQ+ BIPOC individuals, and hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling. Consistent with our hypotheses, cultural socialization messages were negatively associated with psychological distress, while preparation for bias messages were positively associated with psychological distress. The protective effect of cultural socialization messages on psychological distress was stronger at higher levels of preparation for bias messages, indicating an interaction effect that supports mental health. In addition, cultural socialization messages were indirectly associated with psychological distress through increased racial/ethnic and LGBTQ+ identity pride, suggesting that cultural socialization messages foster positive identity formation. This study is the first to explore many of these pathways in LGBTQ+ BIPOC populations, extending the understanding of the protective effects of cultural socialization messages and highlighting the importance of intersectional approaches in research and clinical practice. The findings underscore the need for interventions that incorporate both cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages to support the mental health of LGBTQ+ BIPOC individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Intersectional microaggressions - daily slights toward individuals with multiple minoritized identities - pose significant stress for sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) Latine youth. Although research on these experiences has expanded, gaps remain regarding how they influence substance use and mental health across ethnic and linguistic lines. This study examined the relationship between intersectional microaggressions, psychological distress, and alcohol use as a coping strategy among a nationally diverse sample of SGM Latine youth (N = 3119). Participants completed surveys assessing experiences of microaggressions, mental health symptoms, and alcohol use. Mediation analyses revealed that intersectional microaggressions (predictor) were associated with higher psychological distress (mediator; B = .23, p < .001), which in turn were associated with higher alcohol use as a coping mechanism (outcome; B = .07, p < .001). Psychological distress partially mediated the association between microaggressions and alcohol use (direct effect B = .03, p < .001). A moderated mediation analysis, in which native language (Spanish or English) was tested as a moderator, showed greater indirect effects for native Spanish speakers than for native English speakers across both indirect paths in the mediation model. Findings underscore the compounded impact of intersectional discrimination on substance use and mental health in SGM Latine youth, with important implications for culturally and linguistically informed interventions targeting minoritized populations.

College students face significant mental health challenges, yet traditional support systems often remain inaccessible due to stigma, scheduling constraints, and limited institutional resources. Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, offer a promising avenue for providing immediate, anonymous, and personalized mental health support. This study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore how and why college students engage with LLMs for mental health purposes, examining their motivations, lived experiences, and perceived benefits and limitations. 20 students were interviewed about their use of LLM-based tools such as ChatGPT, Pi, and Character AI. Findings revealed broad themes encompassing motivations, experiences, strengths, and limitations. Students were motivated by curiosity, stigma avoidance, and the need for accessible, self-directed support, while their experiences reflected emotional, relational, and psychoeducational engagement with LLMs. They described LLMs as accessible, nonjudgmental, and empowering tools that provided validation, comfort, and practical coping strategies within the constraints of student life. Yet, these positive experiences coexisted with contradictions. For example, students simultaneously perceived LLMs as empathetic and mechanical, safe yet uncertain, and personalized yet impersonal. Despite these tensions, LLMs ultimately functioned as “good enough companions” for college students, offering meaningful, immediate support while revealing the limits of artificial empathy. The study highlights design implications for developing specialized, transparent, and ethically governed LLM systems to complement traditional mental health services in university settings.

OBJECTIVE:Racial-based traumatic stress (RBTS) is a well-established, transdiagnostic risk factor associated with mental and physical health concerns among people of color. RBTS may arise immediately following a discriminatory encounter or develop as a psychological response to repeated racial stress. Racial microaggressions, subtle, ambiguous discriminatory events, are particularly harmful, as their cumulative impact can contribute to significant psychological distress. Although prior research has documented strong, bidirectional links between racial microaggressions and posttraumatic stress, no study has examined the extent to which microaggressions predict RBTS or how individual risk and resilience factors shape this relationship. METHOD:A racially diverse people of color sample (N = 880, Mage = 23.4, SD = 3.24) was recruited using an online cross-sectional survey assessing racial microaggressions, RBTS, psychological distress, coping, and ethnic identity. Structural equation modeling was used to examine parallel and moderated mediation models. RESULTS:Racial microaggressions predicted psychological distress indirectly through both immediate and current RBTS, with the direct effect nonsignificant, indicating full mediation. Negative coping strengthened, whereas positive coping weakened, the links between microaggressions and RBTS. Affirmed ethnic identity showed mixed effects, offering protection when adaptive coping was high and maladaptive coping was low. Conditional indirect effects indicated that trauma pathways were strongest under high negative coping and low positive coping. CONCLUSION:These findings suggest that racial microaggressions contribute to distress chiefly through trauma-related mechanisms, including immediate reactions. Coping strategies and ethnic identity shaped these pathways, underscoring the clinical value of fostering adaptive coping and identity-affirming practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

ABSTRACT Research on bullying and LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx youth is limited, yet findings suggest experiencing bullying is associated with high levels of psychological distress, which can be internalized. Similarly, research on aspects such as parental acceptance and informed therapy suggest these can operate as protective factors when experiencing oppression. Yet, these relations are often tested individually. Thus, using an intersectional approach, we explore the cumulative effect of these variables using a sample of LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx youth to highlight specific mental health disparities among these groups. Using a national online cross‐sectional survey with LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx youth (N = 2414), we assessed the relation between school bullying (predictor), internalized LGBTQ+ stigma (mediator), and psychological distress (outcome) and tested the influence of access to therapy (moderator 1) and parental acceptance (moderator 2) in a moderated mediation analysis. Additionally, a second moderated mediation analysis tested among participants who have access to therapy if LGBTQ+ informed therapy (moderator 1) and parental acceptance (moderator 2) influenced the relation between our main variables. Using a moderated mediation analysis PROCESS Model 11 for two models, results suggested in model 1 that internalized stigma mediated the relation between school bullying and psychological distress. Furthermore, both parental acceptance and access to therapy moderated the association between school bullying and internalized LGBTQ+ stigma. The second model found that for those with access to therapy, receiving LGBTQ+ ‐informed therapy and high parental acceptance disrupted the relationship between school bullying and internalized LGBTQ+ stigma. Our findings suggested that LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx youth receiving LGBTQ+ informed therapy reported less internalized LGBTQ+ stigma, particularly when parental acceptance is high. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Caregivers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth report symptoms of depression and anxiety as they process their child's LGBTQ identity. As caregiver acceptance of their LGBTQ child increases, caregivers become aware of the oppression and discrimination that their child experiences, which promotes social justice action. However, the relationship between caregiver acceptance, social justice engagement, and mental health outcomes has not been explored. This study assessed the influence of caregiver acceptance of LGBTQ youth and social justice awareness and actions on their mental health and compared these effects between White and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) caregivers. Using a series of double moderation analyses, results showed that the relation between caregiver acceptance and depression or anxiety is moderated by social justice (awareness and actions) among BIPOC caregivers but not among White caregivers. Specifically, our models showed a significant three-way interaction where higher social justice (awareness and action) and caregiver acceptance among BIPOC caregivers were associated with lower symptoms of both depression and anxiety. We discuss implications for working with BIPOC caregivers of LGBTQ youth, such as increasing caregiver-child communication and using liberation psychology to develop consciousness of the experiences that oppress their LGBTQ child and the family overall. What is the significance of this article for the general public? This study suggests that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) caregivers share unique family resources that promote acceptance toward their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) child. Furthermore, having an awareness of the marginalization of LGBTQ youth and advocating for their child can improve their mental health symptoms of anxiety and depression.