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Religious Coping with Sexual Stigma in Young Adults with Same-Sex Attractions

Journal of Religion and Health volume 56, pages 1436–1449 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The present study assessed religious coping with sexual stigma in 260 young adults with same-sex attractions. Although the majority of the sample rarely utilized religious coping, a significant minority of participants frequently turned to religion to deal with sexual stigma. Controlling for demographic and general religious variables, positive religious coping (e.g., connecting with God) was associated with beneficial outcomes, and negative religious coping (e.g., frustrations with one’s spiritual community) related to poorer adjustment to sexual stigma. Data are presented on how religious coping varied as a function of religiosity and sexual identity development (e.g., disclosure of sexual orientation to others).

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. The Renfrew Center of Northern New Jersey, 174 Union Street, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450, USA

    Shauna K. Lauricella

  2. Behavioral Sciences Division, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 150 Finoli Drive, Greensburg, PA, 15601, USA

    Russell E. Phillips III

  3. Psychology Department, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA

    Eric F. Dubow

Authors
  1. Shauna K. Lauricella
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  2. Russell E. Phillips III
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  3. Eric F. Dubow
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Russell E. Phillips III.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Standards

All procedures performed in this study (involving human participants) were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Lauricella, S.K., Phillips, R.E. & Dubow, E.F. Religious Coping with Sexual Stigma in Young Adults with Same-Sex Attractions. J Relig Health 56, 1436–1449 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0374-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0374-4

Keywords

  • Religious coping
  • Gay
  • Lesbian
  • Bisexual
  • Homosexual