Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Program Name/Specialization

Community Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Dr. Simon Coulombe

Advisor Role

Assistant Professor

Abstract

Literature on the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people has predominantly examined the negative experiences associated with LGBTQ identity; however, a growing body of literature explores the positive wellbeing of LGBTQ people. The present study examines social wellbeing as the connections across six elements identified in previous literature: discrimination, sense of safety, outness, social support, sense of belonging, and community acceptance. Latent profile analyses (LPA), a person-centered approach, was used to explore these elements of social wellbeing with cisgender LGBQ (n = 406) and transgender (n = 110) participants from a sample of LGBTQ individuals who completed an online survey in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Four distinct social wellbeing profiles were identified for LGBQ participants, and three profiles were identified for the transgender participants, with varying levels of social wellbeing represented. To further contextualize the profiles, identity and demographic covariates and self-esteem of each profile were assessed. This research demonstrates the value of LPA by contextualizing the distinct ways that LGBTQ people experience social wellbeing, providing guidance to develop services and policies to intentionally recognize the various profiles of people with diverse experiences within the Waterloo Region.

Convocation Year

2019

Convocation Season

Fall

Download

Share

COinS