Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2015
Publication Title
Journal of College Student Development
Volume
56
Issue
2
Abstract
We compared a matched sample of heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students on 5 psychosocial adjustment composites, longitudinally across the transitional first year of college. Both LGB and heterosexual students experienced a significant increase in psychological distress over the first semester, along with significant decreases in psychological well-being and cognitive-affective strengths. Across the entire first year, LGB students demonstrated consistently greater psychological distress, greater cognitive-affective vulnerabilities, and less social well-being compared to heterosexual peers. This research indicates specific challenges that LGB students experience during the first year of university, suggesting opportunities for promoting successful transitions through this developmental milestone.
Recommended Citation
Kirsch, AC, C Conley, and TJ Riley. "Comparing Psychosocial Adjustment Across the College Transition in a Matched Heterosexual and Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Sample" in Journal of College Student Development 56(2), 2015.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2015 American College Personnel Association (ACPA)
Comments
Author Posting. © American College Personnel Association (ACPA), 2015. This article is posted here by permission of the American College Personnel Association for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published in Journal of College Student Development, Volume 56, Issue 2, March 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/csd.2015.0017