Mental health care barriers for people who are Black and/or African American lesbians

Kristi Rines
kr6549@ship.edu
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Jen Clements
College of Education and Human Services
Social Work & Gerontology

Oppressive stressors and related emotional stress predispose people who identify as Black lesbians to psychiatric disorders and mental health service needs. Yet, for people who identify or may be identified as Black and/or African American lesbians, discriminatory disparities in access to, use, and quality of care exist due to race, sexuality, and gender minoritization. Research on Black lesbian and bisexual women’s health experiences is still in the exploratory phase, which has serious implications for the quality, effectiveness, and degree of cultural attunement in their mental health care.

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