Traumatic Stress, Social Support, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Growth: Comparison of LBGT plus and Heterosexual Individuals in a Developing Country

Abstract

Objective: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a concept that may emerge after a traumatic experience and describes an experience that includes reaching a higher level of development in various areas of life compared to pretrauma. Although everyone is at risk for traumatic experiences, some populations such as minorities may be at more risk for stress, crisis, and trauma. However, there are limited studies that examine the difference between minority and majority groups in terms of variables related to trauma and PTG. The present study aims to investigate these variables between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+), which is considered a minority group, and heterosexual individuals in a developing country like Turkey. Method: Participants were 40 LGBT+ and 73 heterosexual individuals aged between 18 and 60 (26.88 +/- 8.21). PTG, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, psychological resilience, social connectedness, perceived available support, and psychological inflexibility were measured using self-report questionnaires. Results: All questionnaires were internally consistent (alpha s from .87 to .96). PTG showed a significant correlation only with the perceived available support both for all participants and for LGBT+ and heterosexual groups separately. All variables except PTG differed significantly between LGBT+ and heterosexual individuals. Conclusions: The results have implications regarding an LGBT+ community in a developing country, as they appear to have clinically significant traumatic symptoms. In addition, LGBT+ individuals also appear to have less social and individual resources, which should be considered for delivering treatments and providing support for this group.