Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Ryan G. Carlson
Abstract
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and More (LGBTQ+) individuals are part of a diverse and complex community that has unique considerations regarding physical and mental health. While there is ongoing health equity research regarding LGBTQ+ individuals, the focus is often on health disparities. A strengths-based approach to helping LGBTQ+ individuals through research and other avenues may be beneficial. This multi-manuscript dissertation includes two studies that explored the current literature on strengths-based factors such as coping, individual resilience, and family resilience within LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as determined the feasibility of utilizing these factors to assist LGBTQ+ individuals with health and mental health concerns such as substance use. The first study was a systematic review of studies that investigated coping, individual resilience, and/or family resilience, and health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals. The results of study one influenced the development of the second study. The second study was a cross-sectional online survey that examined coping, individual resilience, and family resilience as potential predictors of alcohol and/or other drug use. In tandem, these two studies provide insight into strengths-based factors for LGBTQ+ individuals and their relationships with health outcomes such as substance use, as well as provide an empirical foundation for future research for strength-based factors in counseling modalities and outcomes for LGBTQ+ clients.
Rights
© 2025, Elizabeth Moriarty Combs
Recommended Citation
Combs, E. M.(2025). Examining Coping, Individual Resilience, and Family Resilience as Strengths-Based Factors for LGBTQ+ Individuals. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8338