Sexual Trauma and Wellbeing Among Latinas: The Moderating Role of Gender Norms

Background: Sexual trauma is a national public health concern. Decades of research support the deleterious effects of sexual trauma on later health outcomes. Levels of sexual trauma are high among Latina women, and the impact of this experience potentially more negative. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which sexual trauma affected wellbeing, and whether a woman’s gender norms—traditional American and/or Hispanic gender norms—moderated this association.   

Method: 110 women who are part of an intervention study for sexually active Latina women between the ages of 18 and 50 years (M=34, SD= 6.9) comprise the sample for this current study. About half of the sample was married (49.1%) and unemployed (50%), and about a third had experienced some form of sexual trauma (33.6%). The majority of participants were undocumented immigrants (69.1%).

Baseline surveys included a sexual history, whereby women indicated if they had experienced sexual trauma, the Marianismo Beliefs Scale, the Attitudes Toward Women Scale, as well as key demographic variables. Follow-up surveys were administered at 6-months, including: the Self-Efficacy Scale for HIV Risk Behaviors, the Sexual Relationship Power Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire. Age and bidimensional acculturation were covariates.

The association between sexual trauma and wellbeing were examined in a series of regression models using the SAS PROCESS macro. The five dependent variables represented domains of wellbeing (mental health; relational health; and physical and sexual health). Predictors in each regression included: sexual trauma, age, and biculturalism. Main and interaction effects of sexual trauma and gender norms were tested to assess whether traditional gender norms operated as a risk factor for wellbeing among Latina women. Significant interactions were probed using the Johnson-Newman (J-N) technique within the SAS PROCESS macro.

Results: Moderation models looking at the effect of marianismo (more traditional, submissive Latina gender roles) and attitudes towards women on wellbeing evidenced only two significant interactions. The interaction between sexual trauma and marianismo in relation to decision-making dominance within sexual relationships was = .05, F [1, 102] = 6.2, p = .01. For women with high marianismo scores, experiences of sexual trauma were associated with less decision-making power in sexual relationships. The second statistically significant interaction was between sexual trauma and egalitarian attitudes towards women (.03, F [1, 102] = 4.2, p = .04). For women with moderate to high egalitarian gender attitudes, experiences of sexual trauma were associated with less control in sexual relationships.

Implications: Considering cultural specific gender norms as a moderator of sexual trauma and wellbeing is novel. Although main effect findings were in line with hypotheses, interaction effects highlight the need for more culturally informed research. Within this sample of Hispanic women who were mostly undocumented and disadvantaged, even moderate to high egalitarian gender beliefs were related to less control. For those with sexual trauma histories it is critical that this complex relation be investigated more thoroughly. Interventions may need to address gender norms, women’s sexual rights, and cultural beliefs to increase their sexual and overall health.