The Quest for Queer Authenticity: Psychological Pathways Examining the Benefits of Spirituality in LGB+ Adults.

Despite the history of religious-based persecution faced by the queer community, spirituality continues to be a source of resilience for many lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB+) individuals. However, there is limited research empirically examining the psychological pathways through which spirituality can support LGB+ well-being. The present study aimed to examine whether self-compassion and psychological flexibility mediate the relationship between spirituality and positive LGB+ identity, defined as low internalized heterosexism and high authenticity, in a sample of LGB+ adults. Participants (n = 577) completed an online survey with self-report measures on spirituality, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, internalized heterosexism, and LGB+ authenticity. Results from a structural equation modeling analysis indicated that, as hypothesized, spirituality indirectly predicted positive LGB+ identity. More specifically, spirituality predicted greater self-compassion, which predicted greater psychological flexibility and subsequently lower internalized heterosexism, which in turn predicted greater LGB+ authenticity. These findings have important implications for interventions designed to support the well-being and identity development of LGB+ individuals. Self-compassion and psychological flexibility may be targeted in therapy to facilitate identity integration among spiritual LGB+ clients.