Sexual prejudice among Puerto Rican young adults

Abstract

Sexual prejudice is linked to hate crimes, mental health, risk behaviors, and stigma. Few studies have examined sexual prejudice among Latinos. We surveyed 382 college students in Puerto Rico. A structural model tested whether contact and positive experiences with homosexuals, perceived similarities with peers' attitudes toward homosexuality, and religiosity were predictive of sexual prejudice among Puerto Rican young adults. Sex differences in the structural model were explored. With the exception of peers' attitudes toward homosexuality, all study variables predict sexual prejudice. No sex differences were found. Implications for decreasing sexual prejudice among Puerto Rican youth in a college setting are discussed.

Figure 1

Exploratory Structural Equation Model of the effects of interaction and positive experiences with homosexuals, perceived similarity with peers' attitudes toward homosexuality, and religiosity on Puerto Rican college students' sexual prejudice. All solid lines represent statistically significant paths at the .05 level. Magnitudes of association are presented with the standard errors in parentheses; X² (61, N = 360) = 209.48. Normed (NFI), non-normed (NNFI), and comparative (CFI) goodness-of-fit are .92, .92, .94, respectively; RMSEA misfit is .08.

Figure 2

An alternative exploratory structural model: What if sexual prejudice predicts interaction and positive experiences with homosexuals, perceived similarity with peers' attitudes toward homosexuality, and religiosity. All solid lines represent statistically significant paths at the .05 level. Magnitudes of association are presented with the standard errors in parentheses; X² (61, N = 360) = 242.31. Normed (NFI), non-normed (NNFI), and comparative (CFI) goodness-of-fit are .91, .91, .93, respectively; RMSEA is .09.