Unique and Collective Impact of Interpersonal and Structural Stigma

The purpose of the present study is to understand how interpersonal and structural ethnic stigma uniquely and collectively confer risk for adverse mental health outcomes in Latinx individuals living in the U.S. Employing a minority stress mediation framework with 639 self-identified Latinxs, the current study utilized manifest and latent variable correlations and latent variable structural equation modeling to examine distal stressors (interpersonal ethnic stigma, structural ethnic stigma) as predictors of mental health outcomes (psychological distress, psychological well-being), with proximal stressors (expectations of stigma, internalized stigma, perceptions of structural stigma) and a general psychological process (rumination) as potential mechanisms through which stigma experiences confer mental health risk. Findings were mixed in terms of their support for study hypotheses. Overall, results indicate that a minority stress mediation framework is applicable with a Latinx population. Interpersonal ethnic stigma yielded direct and indirect associations with proximal stressors, psychological processes, and mental health outcomes, and both proximal stressors and psychological processes emerged as potential pathways through which stigma experiences confer risk. However, associations among structural ethnic stigma and study variables were mostly nonsignificant. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for clinical practice, education of mental health practitioners, and immigration policy, along with limitations and future directions.