Environmental and individual predictors of resilience for queer-spectrum college students

Abstract

In the United States, anti-queer mobilization (e.g. demonstrations, propaganda, political attacks) has increased in recent years. Although campus climate data from the past decades for queer-spectrum individuals show promising trends, these students still navigate numerous academic, social, and health challenges in the college. Given students’ efforts to traverse these issues, this exploratory study of 8,988 queer-spectrum students examines both individual and collegiate environmental predictors of resilience. Results highlight the importance of queer-spectrum students’ experiences of the environment, particularly a sense of belonging and active engagement in both conversations across difference and behaviors that promote social change. Thus, to cultivate queer resilience, educators must attend to queer-spectrum students’ perceptions of campus climate as well as activism and cross-cultural dialogue.

Keywords:

• Resilience
• queer
• sexual orientation
• college students

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin P. Correia-Harker

Benjamin P. Correia-Harker is a Clinical Assistant Professor for the Student Affairs in Higher Education program at Marquette University and Co-principal Investigator for the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership.

Mary Joy Hickey

Mary Joy Hickey is a graduate student in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program at Marquette University.

Max Herteen

Max Herteen is an Assistant Director, Alumni Engagement at Northwestern University.

Kya Ione Ohlson

Kya Ione Ohlson is a graduate student in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program at Marquette University.