Associations Between Sexual Trauma and Sexual Relationship Power Among Latina Immigrant Farmworkers: The Moderating Role of Gender Norms

Abstract

Sexual trauma is a national public health concern due to the alarming rates at which it occurs and decades of research supporting its long-term deleterious effects on health outcomes. We assessed the impact of gender norms and sexual trauma on power within sexual relationships among Latina immigrant farmworkers. At baseline, participants (N = 175) completed a survey examining demographic information, sexual trauma history, and gender norms; a follow-up was administered 6 months later. Past sexual trauma was associated with less power in sexual relationships, r = −.25, p < .001, as was endorsement of traditional Latina gender norms (i.e., marianismo): sexual relationship control, r = −.38, p < .001; sexual decision-making dominance, r = −.21, p = .005. In contrast, egalitarian gender norm endorsement was associated with higher levels of sexual relationship control, r = .37, p < .001, and sexual decision-making dominance, r = .17, p = .023. Gender norms moderated the association between sexual trauma and sexual relationship power. Specifically, women who subscribed more to marianismo and reported sexual trauma had less decision-making dominance in sexual relationships, whereas those with lower ratings of marianismo reported higher levels of decision-making dominance despite sexual trauma, R 2 = .03, p = .022. Sexual trauma history coupled with higher ratings of egalitarian gender norms was associated with higher levels of sexual relationship control, DR 2 = .02, p = .023. These results highlight the importance of culturally informed research to increase the sexual and overall health of vulnerable populations (e.g., Latina immigrant farmworkers).

The Mediating Role of Sexual Self-Efficacy on Protected Sex

“…A 2-factor solution was obtained, machismo and caballerismo. To increase the Cronbach's alpha, question items with less than .30 correlation were removed (MCS items 12,13,15,16,19,20). Cronbach's alpha of the current study is .68.…”

“…The cultural value of marianismo assumes women to be naive, submissive, nurturing, selfless, self-sacrificing, family-centered, chaste, and sexually pure. 10 , 19 Female virginity is emphasized. The submissive nature of marianismo perpetuates inhibition of expression and poor direct communication about sex protection between partners 11 which puts women at high sexual risks.…”

“…Although marianismo was associated with fewer sexual partners, it was also linked with inconsistent use and non-use of condoms and less decision-making power in a sexual relationship. 11 , 19 …”

“…Although marianismo was associated with fewer sexual partners, it was also linked with inconsistent use and non-use of condoms and less decision-making power in a sexual relationship. 11,19 The cultural value of machismo has both negative and positive ascriptions to male masculinity in the Hispanic culture. In one aspect, machismo expects men to be strong, apathetic, dominant, and the decision maker in a relationship.…”

“Trauma can be a Really Great Teacher, and for Those That Have Invested in Learning the Lessons and Applying Those Lessons to Their Personal Evolution, it can set Them Apart as the Greatest Leaders”: Testimonios of the Professional and Leadership Experiences of Latina Executive Leaders With a History of Trauma

“…Interestingly, literature on trauma among Latinas focuses primarily on intimate partner violence (Moreno, 2007;Serrata et al, 2020;Silva-Martínez, 2016), sexual assault (Serrata et al, 2020), sexual trauma (Fava et al, 2020), and domestic violence (Edelson et al, 2007) within the immigrant population (Fava et al, 2020;Silva-Martínez, 2016). In a comparative study of Latinas and non-Latinas who survived domestic abuse, Edelson et al (2007) found that Latinas significantly reported more symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem and were more impacted by the trauma as evidenced by unpleasant thoughts or images.…”