When Family Loyalty Becomes Harm: New Framework by BUSSW Professors on Trauma and Dissociation in LGBTQ+ Latine Families
For many Latine people, family is not just a relationship. It is an identity, an obligation, and a source of belonging that shapes every major decision in life. But what happens when the same family bonds meant to protect and unite become a mechanism for enforcing rigid gender and sexuality norms? A new theoretical framework from two Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) professors takes on that question, offering clinicians and researchers a new lens for understanding the negative impact that can follow.
Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez, assistant professor, and Jennifer M. Gómez, associate professor, co-authored “Familismo As Structural Oppression Towards Sexual and Gender Minoritized Latines: The Role of Betrayal & Double-Consciousness in Dissociating for the Familia.” The paper appears in a special issue of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation titled “Understanding, Preventing, & Healing Dissociation in the Context of Intersectional Inequalities,” co-edited by Professor Gómez.
How Familismo Can Become a Form of Structural Oppression
The paper grew out of a question both professors have encountered again and again in their clinical work and research with marginalized clients with complex trauma histories: If family relationships sit at the center of Latine life, what happens when those relationships are betrayed to uphold oppressive norms, such as familismo?
Familismo, the cultural value that prioritizes family loyalty, support and unity above the individual, is often described as a source of strength for Latine communities. Alvarez-Hernandez and Gómez argue it can also become a tool of structural oppression when it is used to police sexual orientation and gender identity, demanding silence, conformity or estrangement from sexual and gender-minoritized family members to preserve the family unit.
Linking Betrayal Trauma Theory to Double Consciousness and Dissociation
Drawing on existing and their own research, alongside their own years of clinical experience treating marginalized clients, Alvarez-Hernandez and Gómez built a framework that links concepts researchers have historically studied in isolation. The paper connects intersectional oppression and familismo to Jennifer J Freyd’s betrayal trauma theory, and Gómez’s cultural betrayal trauma theory, both of which examine the psychological harm that occurs when the people someone depends on for physical and/or emotional survival are the ones causing harm.
From there, the framework traces how that betrayal can push LGBTQ+ Latines toward W.E.B. du Bois’ double consciousness: the experience of holding two competing senses of self, one shaped by personal identity and one shaped by the expectations of a family or culture that may not fully accept them. The professors argue that dissociation, often understood as a response to trauma, can also function as a survival strategy in this context, a way of managing the impossible position of needing the familia, while being harmed by its expectations. The framework does not stop at harm. It also maps pathways toward resistance, naming the ways LGBTQ+ Latines push back against and move through these dynamics.
Presented to Clinicians, Researchers, and Faculty at the LSWO Symposium and ISSTD Conference
Even before publication, the framework was finding an audience. Alvarez-Hernandez presented the work as a workshop at the Latino Social Workers Organization (LSWO) Symposium, held at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. Gómez presented a companion paper session at the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD) conference. Both presentations were well received by clinicians and researchers working directly with LGBTQ+ Latine communities.
A Dedication to Trauma Researcher Dr. Maureen Allwood
The special issue also carries a dedication to Dr. Maureen Allwood, an original co-editor and a respected trauma researcher and clinician known for her work with youth of color, who died unexpectedly during the issue’s development. The introduction to the special issue honors her memory and lasting influence on the field.
Why This Framework Matters for LGBTQ+ Latine Mental Health
Family estrangement, forced silence, and the pressure to choose between identity and belonging are experiences many LGBTQ+ Latines know intimately, yet the clinical field has lacked a framework that names the structural roots of that pain.
By connecting familismo, various forms of betrayal trauma and double consciousness to dissociation, Alvarez-Hernandez and Gómez give researchers a framework to test in their studies and clinicians new language for what their clients are living through, and a new footing to help them heal and resist oppression.
Learn more about Professor Alvarez-Hernandez and Professor Gómez.
Read the full paper in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation