Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Clinical Psychology

Department or School/College

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Jennifer Waltz

Commitee Members

Bryan Cochran, Christine Fiore, Cheryl Van Denburg, Elizabeth Hubble

Keywords

LGB, parent-child relationships, self-compassion

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between general family support, sexual orientation-specific parental rejection, and self-compassion, as well as psychological distress and proximal minority stress for LGB-identified individuals. Three hundred twenty-four participants who identified as LGB were recruited online for the study and completed measures of general family support, sexual orientation-specific parental rejection, self-compassion, psychological distress, and proximal minority stress. The results showed that general family support was negatively associated with psychological distress, and that general family support was positively related to the self-kindness and common humanity facets of self-compassion, and negatively related to the self-judgment, isolation, and overidentification facets of self-coldness. Sexual orientation-specific parental rejection was found to be positively related to proximal minority stress; however, it was not found to be associated with psychological distress or self-compassion. The findings suggest that general family support and sexual orientation-specific parental rejection have effects on the development of self-compassion. The study also highlights the importance of exploring the relationship between family members' rejection of an individual's sexual orientation and the potential for developing internalized heterosexist attitudes.

Download

Share

COinS
 

© Copyright 2023 Morgan Christine Bowlen