Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

12-2018

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department

Psychological and Brain Sciences

Degree Program

Clinical Psychology, PhD

Committee Chair

Meeks, Suzanne

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Cashon, Cara

Committee Member

Cashon, Cara

Committee Member

Gattis, Maurice

Committee Member

Lewine, Richard

Committee Member

Rosen, Paul

Author's Keywords

LGBT; microaggressions; identity; coping; discrimination

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine LGB identity from a multidimensional approach in the context of microaggressions. The aims of the study were as follows: 1) to examine whether positive and negative facets of LGB identities are correlated; 2) to determine whether positive LGB identity facets served as protective factors against the negative impact of microaggressions; 3) to explore the unique contribution of having a positive LGB identity against the negative impact of microaggressions when compared to other protective factors (social support and outness). Participants were 135 undergraduate students recruited through the University of Louisville’s research participant pool. Correlational and regression analysis results indicated that some facets of positive and negative identity are correlated. Positive LGB identity was not significantly correlated with anxiety or depression as assessed by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), respectively. Social support and outness were negatively associated with the BDI-II and microaggressions were positively associated with the BDI-II. Microaggressions and social support predicted unique variance in depressive symptoms, although social support was not a statistically significant buffer against microaggressions. This study highlights vi the clinical importance of identifying coping skills and sources of resilience in LGB individuals. Future research, such as including a broader spectrum of sexual orientations, assessing intersectionality, and examining other sources of coping, such as self-ompassion are discussed.

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