From identity to inner strength: exploring pathways of resilience among LGBTQ+ youth
Kashish Dua, Kanupriya Misra BakhruPurpose
LGBTQ + youth remain among the most psychologically vulnerable and socially excluded adolescent populations, yet the mechanisms through which identity experiences may contribute to resilience remain under-theorised in mental health and social inclusion practice.
Design/methodology/approach
This perspective paper proposes a moderated-mediation framework linking identity development to resilience. This conceptual paper combines Minority Stress Theory, Social Cognitive Theory and developmental resilience theory to propose a moderated-mediation model in which social support and adaptive coping act as moderators at various stages of the pathway between identity development and resilience, with self-efficacy as the mediator.
Findings
The proposed framework suggests that identity development may contribute to resilience when it is translated into self-efficacy, the perceived capacity to cope, make decisions and act effectively. This pathway is expected to be strengthened by supportive social environments and adaptive coping resources, whereas hostile environments and maladaptive coping may interrupt the pathway.
Practical implications
The framework identifies two complementary intervention points: strengthening identity-affirming social environments and developing adaptive coping and self-management capabilities, while simultaneously supporting self-efficacy.
Originality/value
The paper offers a stage-specific conceptualisation of the workings and pathways of LGBTQ + youth resilience, defining self-efficacy as a psychological process that connects identity development to youth resilience, and emphasising the different stages of the pathway at which social support and adaptive coping serve as contextual resources. The framework captures these relationships in terms of intervention points for mental health and social inclusion practice.