Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Senior Thesis

Degree

Bachelor of Arts

Primary Major

Psychology

Thesis Advisor

Veronica Fruiht, PhD

Abstract

People identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ in the United States experience victimization, direct discrimination, and violence at a rate of 2 to 4 times higher than their heterosexual counterparts (Bender & Lauritsen, 2021), leading to higher levels of psychological pain and suicidal ideation, with up to 50% of LGBTQIA2S+ people having suicidal thoughts in their lifetimes. Those who experience ambient discrimination, such as witnessing or being made aware of discriminatory behavior of someone other than oneself in your group, have higher levels of psychological pain, PTSD, and substance use (Peterson et al., 2019). The goal of the present study is to gain a greater understanding of how ambient discrimination affects the mental health of LGBTQIA2S+ people, and to recognize the ripple effect of continued discrimination laws as witnessed by those in states with queer-specific nondiscrimination laws. Participants in this study included 20 LGBTQIA2S+ identifying adults who live in states with queer-specific nondiscrimination laws in the United States. Participants will complete a survey including an adapted version of the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (Balsam et al., 2013) as well as the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale- 21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). This study has found a strong positive Pearson R correlation between levels of ambient discrimination and levels of anxiety and psychological stress, while finding a weak positive correlation with ambient discrimination and depression. This study is important because no research has yet examined the effects of ambient discrimination with regard to state queer-specific nondiscrimination laws, thus advancing the understanding of how political and societal changes shape LGBTQIA2S+ people's psychological well-being. In sum, this study acts as a foundation for future research on the interconnectedness of legal, personal, and ambient discrimination.

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