Ethnic–racial socialization, psychological distress, and identity pride for LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, people of color.

This study investigates the joint influences of cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages on psychological distress among LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) individuals. We examined whether the impact of cultural socialization messages is moderated by preparation for bias messages, and whether there is an indirect effect from cultural socialization to psychological distress through racial/ethnic and LGBTQ+ identity pride. The study included a sample of 605 LGBTQ+ BIPOC individuals, and hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling. Consistent with our hypotheses, cultural socialization messages were negatively associated with psychological distress, while preparation for bias messages were positively associated with psychological distress. The protective effect of cultural socialization messages on psychological distress was stronger at higher levels of preparation for bias messages, indicating an interaction effect that supports mental health. In addition, cultural socialization messages were indirectly associated with psychological distress through increased racial/ethnic and LGBTQ+ identity pride, suggesting that cultural socialization messages foster positive identity formation. This study is the first to explore many of these pathways in LGBTQ+ BIPOC populations, extending the understanding of the protective effects of cultural socialization messages and highlighting the importance of intersectional approaches in research and clinical practice. The findings underscore the need for interventions that incorporate both cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages to support the mental health of LGBTQ+ BIPOC individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).