How Intersecting Marginalized Identities Impact Resilience, Relational Satisfaction, and Mental Health Outcomes
In today's world, marginalized individuals are often faced with multiple forms of discrimination based on their social and cultural backgrounds. This can include factors such as race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, age, or immigration status. With this increasing diversity comes an increased understanding of how intersecting identities can impact resilience, relational satisfaction, and mental health outcomes in everyday life.
Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt positively to adversity, trauma, stressors, or challenges. It involves bouncing back from difficult situations and maintaining one's sense of self-worth and well-being despite external factors.
For marginalized individuals who experience oppression due to multiple intersecting identities, it becomes more difficult to build resilience because they face systemic barriers that make them vulnerable to trauma.
A Black woman may face both racism and sexism, which can lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to her white male counterparts. This can also affect her relationships with others, as she may feel isolated or fearful of rejection due to her perceived differences.
Relational satisfaction refers to the level of happiness and fulfillment someone experiences in their interpersonal relationships. Research has shown that people with intersecting identities tend to have less favorable relationship outcomes due to discrimination and microaggressions.
A queer person of color may experience prejudice from within their community as well as outside it, leading to difficulty forming meaningful connections. Similarly, a disabled transgender individual may face rejection from both abled and cisgender communities, making it harder to find supportive partners. As such, these individuals are more likely to report lower levels of social support, intimacy, and communication.
Mental health outcomes refer to an individual's overall mental health status, including their emotional and psychological well-being. Intersecting marginalized identities can significantly impact mental health by increasing feelings of stress, distress, isolation, and shame. A study found that LGBTQ+ individuals who experienced discrimination had higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse than those who did not. Moreover, research shows that gender nonconforming individuals are at risk for suicide attempts due to societal pressures and stigma around their identity. Thus, these identities can negatively impact one's sense of self-worth and lead to poorer mental health outcomes.
The intersectionality theory suggests that individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups often experience unique challenges regarding resilience, relational satisfaction, and mental health outcomes. While progress has been made towards inclusivity and diversity, there is still much work left to be done in creating safe spaces for all people regardless of their backgrounds. By recognizing and addressing this issue, we can create a society where everyone feels empowered and valued no matter what they identify with.
How do intersecting marginalized identities affect resilience, relational satisfaction, and mental health outcomes in everyday life?
Intersectional identity refers to an individual's identification with multiple social categories that are not often seen as compatible such as gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and disability status. Research shows that individuals with intersecting marginalized identities may experience greater adversity than those who only belong to one marginalized group (Kohrt et al. , 2017).