Sexual violence among LGB+ South Asian Americans: Findings from a community survey

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) South Asian Americans represent a disproportionately underserved and often invisible community in the United States. While issues of sexual violence have been documented in the South Asian American community, little is known on its impact among LGB+ individuals. This study explores the experience of sexual violence, related attitudes, and mental health outcomes among LGB+ South Asian Americans. A community-informed online survey of 18–34-year-old South Asian Americans living near the New York State region, recruited from online social media platforms, was conducted. Study design, implementation, and evaluation occurred in partnership with an advisory board of South Asian young adult representatives; data was analyzed both descriptively and through multivariable logistic regression models. Of the 385 participants who reported their sexuality, LGB+ participants comprised 24.1% (n = 93) of the sample. LGB+ participants were more likely to have experienced rape multiple times (17.2% vs. 9.6%) in bivariate analyses, and higher odds of depression (AOR:3.47, 95%CI:1.61–8.17) in adjusted analyses. Overall, LGB+ South Asian Americans displayed a disproportionate burden of sexual violence and depression. Findings identify policy and research pathways to address sexual violence among LGB+ South Asians.

Help seeking and mental health outcomes among South Asian young adult survivors of sexual violence in the New York State Region

“…Future research may benefit from measuring internalized stigma to assess its role in help seeking among LGB + South Asian survivors of sexual violence. Moreover, higher odds of depression among young LGB + South may be a reflection on the unique intersectional stress and trauma faced by the community in both in-group and out-group settings as both an ethnic and sexual minority [ 23 ]; further analysis on mental health and sexual violence outcomes among the LGB + participants in this sample have been describe elsewhere [ 59 ]. Thus, efforts may be needed to address the disproportionate mental health burden similarly experienced by LGB + South Asian survivors of sexual violence.…”

A Structural Analysis of Gender-Based Violence and Depression in the Lives of Sexual Minority Women and Trans People

“…Sexual minority women and trans people are known to be disproportionately victimized by genderbased violence (Rothman et al, 2011;Stotzer, 2009;Valentine et al, 2017). Further, there are wellestablished links between exposure to gender-based violence and mental health disorder for the same populations (Ali et al, 2022;Lombardi et al, 2002;Malta et al, 2020;Testa et al, 2012). Yet, the literature that establishes these associations does not address the social and cultural mechanisms that may explain them.…”