Psychosocial Strengths,Well-Being,and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among LGBTQ+ Young Adults

Abstract

This study aims to explore the associations between multiple psychosocial resources at the individual-level (personal resilience) and at the family and community levels (social support from significant other, social support from family, social support from friends, and caregiver acceptance) and two mental health outcomes (psychological well-being and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms) among 460 (M_age = 21.6 years) lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) young adults. Personal resilience was the resource most strongly associated with both outcomes. Moreover, higher social support from significant others and from friends were related with higher well-being. Higher social support from family was associated with decreased PTSD symptoms. Findings indicate that different sources of social support are differentially associated with mental health outcomes, with support from one’s significant other and friends being more closely linked with well-being and support from family with PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, findings point to the importance of mental health providers incorporating various psychosocial resources when working with LGBTQ+ young adults.