Self-Transitioning or Other-Transitioning? The Positive Effects of LGBT College Students’ Positive Coping and Perceived Academic Support

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-4276236/v1

Stigmatization directed towards LGBTQ individuals poses a considerable threat to their psychological well-being. LGBTQ college students frequently report exposure to perceived stress and microaggressions. Research indicates that self-regulation and proactive coping mechanisms can act as a protective buffer against the stigma and bias faced by sexual minorities. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate whether and to what extent proactive coping and perceived academic support moderate the relationship between perceived stress specific to LGBTQ college students, their psychological well-being, and academic performance. The study involved the snowball sampling and online recruitment of 359 Chinese LGBTQ college students with a mean age of 20.65. Employing structural equation modeling analysis, the study revealed that a) proactive coping moderated the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being, and b) perceived academic support moderated the relationship between perceived stress and academic performance. These findings suggest that Chinese colleges should implement adequate support and counseling services to enhance the proactive coping abilities of LGBTQ students and create an academically supportive environment to alleviate the adverse effects of perceived stress on psychological well-being.

LGBTQ

psychological well-being

academic performance

proactive coping

perceived academic support

perceived stress

stigma

With the removal of "homosexuality" from the psychiatric register by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1990 (Meyer, 2003), the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and other sexual or gender minority identities) community has gradually been accepted and recognized by the society as a minority group of sexual orientation and gender identity(Gonzales et al., 2020). However, it is difficult to eliminate the persistent physical and emotional violence(Gonzales et al., 2020), discrimination and stigma inflicted on the LGBTQ community (Gonzales et al., 2020), especially in countries and regions that have not yet recognized the legality of same-sex marriage (Meyer, 2003). In higher education contexts, research suggest that LGBTQ students tend to have a worse college experience due to higher perceived stress from discrimination (Renn, 2010), stigmatization (Gonzales et al., 2020) and even bullying (Evangelista et al., 2022). Although the global emphasis on equality and diversity within universities is geared towards safeguarding the civil rights of sexual minorities (Reggiani et al., 2023), most existing studies are restrained to regions where same-sex marriage is legal, such as European countries and the United States. Limited knowledge exists regarding the campus environment for sexual minority students in countries and regions where same-sex marriage is prohibited, resulting in a research gap that needs to be addressed.

In China, where same-sex marriage is not legalized, Confucian culture and traditional family values have contributed to moral objections against LGBTQ community. Unlike universities in Europe and the United States, social support and protective measures for LGBTQ students in Chinese universities are predominantly facilitated by student-initiated clubs, informal organizations, and/or non-profit entities with a social welfare focus (X. Liu et al., 2018). The lack of support from government and academic administrative departments intensifies the environmental pressures experienced by LGBTQ college students (X. Liu et al., 2018). Consequently, a significant number of Chinese LGBTQ college students frequently opt to endure discrimination and disparate treatment in silence (Lau et al., 2020). Using a sample of Chinese higher education students, this study seeks to explore the impact of perceived stress on the psychological well-being and academic performance of sexual minority youth. Additionally, the research aims to ascertain whether proactive coping strategies and perceived academic support can effectively mitigate the adverse effects of perceived stress on LGBTQ college students in China.

The Conservation of Resources (COR) theory provides insight into individuals' responses to stress. According to the theory, Hobfoll argued that when individuals perceive stress, they take measures to prevent further depletion of personal resources (Hobfoll, 1989). For LGBTQ college students, stress may be perceived as a loss of resources, such as social capital and/or inter-personnal relationship, prompting them to reduce their academic commitment to prevent further resource loss. Unfortunately, this response is detrimental to their academic performance, which refers to a student's ability to attain their academic or educational goals (Garg et al., 2021). Research indicates that victimization can result in decreased academic performance among LGBTQ youth (Poteat et al., 2021).

The COR theory also posits that individuals employ proactive coping strategies when they perceive resource depletion (Lazarus, 1993). Proactive coping is defined as actions aimed at achieving desired future outcomes and averting undesired changes (Ellis, 2009). Strategies associated with proactive coping involve individuals' efforts to build general resources to manage challenging stressors and foster personal growth (Meyer, 2013). In response to external stressors, LGBTQ college students who exhibit high levels of proactive coping deploy various strategies to prevent further resource loss, thereby mitigating the impact of perceived stress on their psychological well-being. Additionally, support is recognized as a protective resource aiding students in effectively managing stress, distress, and depression (Aragon et al., 2014). Perceived academic support involves emotional and material assistance that students receive from individuals they consider academically significant (Hur et al., 2016).

Perceived Stress and Psychological Well-being

Perceived stress refers to an individual's assessment of an unfavorable event or situation in relation to their environment (Lazarus, 1993). Research indicates that sexual minorities encounter elevated levels of stress and marginalization in comparison to heterosexual individuals (Mozumder, 2017). The minority stress model posits that LGBTQ college students are more prone to experiencing stress compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Meyer, 2003). LGBTQ individuals undergo additional stressors that are absent in heterosexual individuals. These stressors encompass instances of prejudice such as discrimination, harassment, and violence, along with expectations of rejection, the need for identity concealment, and negative societal attitudes such as homophobia (Meyer, 2003), resulting in mental health issues for LGBTQ college students (Evangelista et al., 2022). A qualitative study revealed that the stigmatization of LGBTQ individuals is linked to four cultural factors: social status and relationships, family values, perceptions of immorality and abnormality, and stereotypes of the male gender(J. X. Liu & Choi, 2006).

Family and social statuscan subject LGBTQ college students to greater stigmatization, which in turn creates stress and anxiety (J. X. Liu & Choi, 2006), thereby impacting the psychological well-being of LGBTQ college students. Especially for LGBTQ college students in China, the deep-rooted Confucian ideology exacerbates the intensed campus climate, resulting in multiple stressors originating from societal perceptions, parental attitudes, and the opinions of their peers and teachers (Lau et al., 2020). Studies have demonstrated that strict gender norms can substantially affect the psychological well-being of LGBTQ individuals (Ellis, 2009). Essentially, when LGBTQ college students confront their stressors, it often leads to adverse effects on their psychological well-being.

Building upon the aforementioned factors, we propose that LGBTQ college students may experience higher levels of stress compared to their heterosexual peers. Prolonged exposure to high levels of stress can have negative effects on psychological well-being. Accordingly, we suggest:

Hypothesis 1. Perceived stress is negatively related to psychological well-being.

Perceived Stress and Academic Performance

Academic performance typically refers to a student's ability to achieve his or her academic or educational goals (Garg et al., 2021). LGBTQ college students experience greater stress than their heterosexual peers (Meyer, 2013), this additional stress can present challenges for them to dedicate sufficient energy to their academics. Research has shown that many LGBTQ college students face issues such as absenteeism, poor grades, and lower graduation rates for various reasons (Poteat et al., 2021). Some studies have identified contributing factors to these situations, including stress related to being exposed as LGBTQ (Aragon et al., 2014), stigmatization (Evangelista et al., 2022), and disapproval of one's identity by others. These factors can lead to increased vulnerability to persecution and higher stress levels, making it difficult to allocate energy to academic pursuits.

According to the COR theory, individuals respond to stress by safeguarding their resources from further depletion (Hobfoll, 1989). For LGBTQ college students in China, when a depletion of resources is perceived, they frequently refrain from investing additional resources in their studies to prevent further loss, resulting in lower academic performance. The experience of chronic stress may induce emotional exhaustion, ultimately resulting in a decrease in intrinsic motivation. This, in turn, leads to a reluctance to invest resources in studies, ultimately resulting in lower academic performance (Hur et al., 2016). Consequently, our propose a negative correlation between the perceived stress levels of LGBTQ college students and their academic performance and the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis 2. Perceived stress is negatively related to Academic performance.

Moderating Effect of Proactive Coping

Proactive coping refers to the promotion of desired future outcomes and the prevention of undesired changes (Bode et al., 2007). For LGBTQ college students, who often find themselves in high-intensity stressful environments (Meyer, 2013), it is important to adopt appropriate proactive coping strategies to manage the loss of personal resources. Proactive coping strategies refer to an individual’s efforts to build general resources to cope with challenging stressors and promote personal growth (Schwarzer & Taubert, 2002). This approach focuses on future events that are perceived to be self-promoting and thus more helpful in overcoming the negative consequences of stress (Ângelo & Chambel, 2014). Proactive coping can alleviate emotional distress caused by stressful events perceived as threatening, detrimental, or beyond one's control (Llorens et al., 2022). LGBTQ college students are more likely to experience unhealthy psychological conditions, such as anxiety and depression, due to a lack of identity or other reasons. Individuals with high levels of proactive coping perceive themselves as more capable of achieving their goals or taking proactive coping steps to deal with stress (Jex et al., 2001). Therefore, LGBTQ college students with high proactive coping skills will use coping measures to buffer the effects of stress and restore their psychological well-being.

According to the COR theory proposed by Hobfoll (1989), resources are crucial in an individual’s ability to cope with stress (Hobfoll, 1989). The theory suggests that individuals will work towards acquiring resources they lack and conserving the resources they possess (Hobfoll, 1989). To prevent further depletion of resources when threatened, individuals not only strive to preserve existing resources but also take a proactive approach to help them gain access to resources and reduce the threat of future resource depletion (Westman et al., 2004). Coping is an individual's response to stress relief (Stiglbauer & Batinic, 2015). For college students who identify as LGBTQ, experiencing stress related to their identity can lead to a depletion of resources. However, those who possess high levels of proactive coping can acquire resources through various means, preventing a spiral of resource loss (Ângelo & Chambel, 2014). Therefore, proactive coping can help compensate for adverse conditions such as anxiety and depression that arise during times of stress. Individuals with higher proactive coping skills strive to accumulate general resources to facilitate coping with challenging events (Llorens et al., 2022). Related research suggests that proactivity reduces burnout and increases work engagement and well-being (Llorens et al., 2022). Thus, we suggest that LGBTQ college students with high proactive coping skills will mitigate the negative effects of perceived stress on their psychological well-being as follows:

Hypothesis 3. Proactive coping moderates the negative relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being, such that the relationship is weaker when proactive coping is high rather than low.

Moderating Effect of Perceived Academic Performance

Perceived academic support is defined as the emotional and material assistance that students perceive from those, they consider important in their academic pursuits (Reyes et al., 2022). Research indicates that perceived academic support is a protective factor against anxiety and depression among students (Chou, 2000), particularly among LGBTQ college students who are more susceptible to these conditions for various reasons (J. X. Liu & Choi, 2006). LGBTQ college students may reduce their commitment to academics when experiencing stress, to protect their resources from further loss. However, when they perceive academic support, they are more likely to reconsider reducing their commitment to academics. Furthermore, academic support has a positive impact on students’ success, motivation, engagement, and well-being (Sands & Plunkett, 2005). Therefore, we posit that greater perceived academic support mitigates the stress experienced by LGBTQ college students, thereby motivating them to allocate more resources to their studies.

Support is acknowledged as a protective resource that helps students cope better with stress, pain, and depression (Zimet et al., 1988). According to the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989), perceived academic support, as a crucial resource, helps to offset the loss of resources indicated by emotional exhaustion, which, in turn, results in a reduction of negative behaviors, such as a decrease in commitment to learning. Simultaneously, support also offers students chances for positive interactions with others (Li et al., 2018). Positive communication with teachers, peers, and parents helps to regulate personal emotions and alleviate negative burnout (Byron et al., 2010), which, in turn, facilitates the recovery of adverse emotions such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, according to Reyes et al. (2022), academic support for LGBTQ college students is perceived to come from parents, teachers, and peers (Reyes et al., 2022). Social support, as a means of facilitating interpersonal communication, can reduce stress and contribute to the restoration of individual resources by fostering social relationships (Viswesvaran et al., 1999). Accordingly, we propose that academic support perception mitigates the negative correlation between stress perception and academic performance among college students who identify as LGBTQ:

Hypothesis 4. Perceived academic support moderates the negative relationship between perceived stress and academic performance, such that the relationship is weaker when perceived academic support is high rather than low.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between perceived stress among LGBTQ college students and their psychological well-being and academic performance within the Chinese context. Additionally, the study explores the potential positive influences of proactive coping and perceived academic support on these students. Through the examination of the four hypothesises, this research seeks to offer insights and strategies to address the challenges encountered by LGBTQ college students in the context of their unique identities, as illustrated in Figure 1.

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Sample

Before data collection, we briefly interviewed several LGBTQ college students from different universities. The interviews revealed that they perceive experiencing more stress compared to their heterosexual peers. Subsequently, this study utilized snowball sampling (Valente et al., 2023) and online platform recruitment for data collection. Our research questionnaire was posted on various social media platforms to recruit LGBTQ college students who were interested in voluntarily filling it out. The recruitment of subjects for this study was voluntary to prevent non-LGBTQ groups from completing the questionnaire due to subject fees, which could confound the study. We informed all participants that the questionnaire data would be kept strictly confidential. The study was conducted in the form of an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was initially distributed to our LGBTQ acquaintances, who were asked to refer classmates or friends who met the survey requirements. Additionally, we posted the questionnaire on online platforms to reach a wider audience of LGBTQ college students.

A total of 359 valid questionnaires were returned for this study. Of these, 52.9% were male and 47.1% were female. The average age was 20.65 years. Among the respondents, 29.8% were studying in higher vocational colleges and universities, 28.4% in non-focused universities, 41.2% in focused universities, and 0.6% in colleges and universities outside of China. The fields of study pursued by the participants were primarily focused on Arts (22%), Economics (Business) (20.6%), Management (25.9%), Science (11.4%), and Education (10.6%). The percentage of participants who identified as lesbian was 45.7%, gay 26.2%, bisexual 25.3%, and other (pansexual, asexual, or other sexual minorities) 0.8%, with 11.1% identifying as indeterminate.

Measures

The variables in our study were measured using well-established scales published in the research literature. To ensure the quality of translation and avoid language ambiguity, our study strictly followed the “translation-back translation” procedure to translate the scales originally developed in English into Chinese.

Perceived stress. Perceived stress has ten items (Mozumder, 2017). Sample items are, “I will be upset by something that happens unexpectedly.” Participants responded on a five-point response scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. Internal consistency for this scale was α= 0.873 in the current study.

Psychological well-being. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used to measure participants’ degree of psychological well-being (Topp et al., 2015). Sample items are, “My daily life is full of things that interest me.” Participants rated on a 5-point scale from 1 = at no time to 5 = all of the time. A sample item was "I have felt cheerful and in good spirits". The internal consistency for this scale was α= 0.899.

Academic performance. Academic performance was measured using a seven-item scale (DuPaul et al., 1991). Sample items are, “I can accurately complete more assignments relative to my batch mates.” Participants responded on a five-point response scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. Internal consistency for this scale was α= 0.968 in the current study.

Proactive coping. Proactive coping was measured using a twenty-one-item scale (Bode et al., 2007). Sample items are, “I can find alternatives when a program doesn't work.” A five-point response scale was used, ranging from 1= strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The internal consistency for this scale was α= 0.976.

Perceived academic support. Perceived academic support was measured using a twelve-item scale (Reyes et al., 2022) which has three dimensions. Three items each for teacher support and peer support, and six items for parental support. Sample items are, “In my school, there is a teacher who cares about me.” A five-point response scale was used, ranging from 1= strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The internal consistency for this scale was α= 0.980. The Cronbach’s α of teacher support, peer support, and parental support were 0.921, 0.941, and 0.963, respectively.

Control variables. Prior research has shown some influence of demographic variables on psychological well-being and academic performance, i.e., age, gender (Garg et al., 2021), gender identity, and school type (Poteat et al., 2021),. In addition, there may be learning difficulties in different subjects. Therefore, this study also controlled for the discipline category as a control variable. Therefore, we decided to control these factors which may have the potential to affect the selected variables in this study. Gender was measured as a dichotomous variable coded as 1 = male and 2 = female. School type was coded as an ordinal variable (1 = higher education institutions, 2 = major university, and 3 = general university, 4 = out-of-state colleges and universities (where gay marriage is legal), 5 = out-of-state colleges and universities (where gay marriage is not legal), 6 = out-of-state colleges and universities (not sure if gay marriage is legal in their region), 7 = others). Subject coded as an ordinal variable (1 = science, 2 = engineering, 3 = liberal arts, 4 = philosophy, 5 = economics (business), 6 = law, 7 = history, 8 = management studies, 9 = military science, 10 = arts, 10 = medicine, 11 = education, 12 = other social sciences, 13 = other cross-disciplines, 14 = other). Identity is coded as an ordinal variable (1 = lesbian, 2 = gay, 3 = bisexual, 4 = transgender, 5 = other (pansexual, asexual, or another sexual minority), 6 = uncertain).

All the analyses that followed were conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) in Amos. Before hypothesis testing, this study analyzed the reliability and validity of all variables. In terms of reliability, as shown in Table Ⅰ, the Cronbach's α values of the four variables involved in this study are all greater than 0.70; the standardized factor loadings are all greater than 0.60; the CR (composite reliability) values are all greater than 0.70; and the AVE (average variance extracted) values are all greater than 0.50 (except perceived stress). According to Fornell and Larcker (1981), If the AVE is less than 0.5 but the CR is higher than 0.6, the convergent validity is also acceptable(Fornell & Larcker, 1981). In a word, these indicators suggest that the variables in this study have good measurement reliability. In terms of validity, Table Ⅱ shows that the four-factor model has the best fit (χ² = 2525.912; df = 1420; χ² / df = 1.779; CFI = 0.943; TLI = 0.941; RMSEA = 0.047; SRMR = 0.040). Together, these results indicate that the variables involved in this study can be effectively differentiated from each other.

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The data were self-reported, which could easily lead to common method variance (CMV). The results of Harman's one-way analysis of variance showed that the unrotated exploratory factor analysis analyzed five factors, which accounted for 70.24% of the total variance explained, and the first principal component factor explained 40% of the variance, which was less than 50% (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Furthermore, Table Ⅱ illustrates how much less superior the one-factor model fit was compared to the four-factor model. The aforementioned findings suggest that the study's common method bias is not very significant.

The means, standard deviations, and intercorrelation matrix for all the variables are shown in Table Ⅲ. In addition, according to Table Ⅲ, the correlation coefficients between variables are less than 0.7, which indicates that there is no serious multicollinearity.

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Hypothesis Tests

Hypothesis 1 proposed that perceived stress is negatively related to psychological well-being. From Table Ⅳ, we can see that perceived stress had a negative relationship with psychological well-being (B = -0.282, SE=0.080, p < 0.001). supporting Hypothesis 1.

Hypothesis 2 proposed that perceived stress is negatively related to academic performance. From Table Ⅳ, we can see that perceived stress had a negative relationship with academic performance (B = -0.594, SE=0.072, p < 0.001). supporting Hypothesis 2.

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The moderation effect of proactive coping is presented in Table Ⅳ. The interaction term of perceived stress and proactive coping was significant (B= -0.126, SE = 0.041, p = 0.001). In addition, From Table Ⅴ and Figure 2, although proactive coping was low (B = -0.170, SE = 0.122, 95% CI= [-0.407, 0.038]) was insignificant, high (B = -0.396, SE = .086, 95% CI= [-0.568, -0.231) was significant. Furthermore, the difference between high and low was also significant (B=-0.226, SE = 0.077, 95% CI= [-0.369, -0.080]). This result indicates that proactive coping moderated the negative relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being, supporting Hypothesis 3.

The moderation effect of perceived academic support is presented in Table Ⅳ. The interaction term of perceived stress and perceived academic support was significant (B= -0.196, SE = 0.056, p < 0.001). In addition, From Table Ⅴ and Figure 2, proactive coping was low (B = 0.368, SE = 0.110, 95% CI= [-0.595, -0.156]) was significant, and high (B = -0.820, SE = .111, 95% CI= [-1.055, -0.626) was also significant. Furthermore, the difference between high and low was also significant (B=-0.451, SE = 0.150, 95% CI= [-0.762, -0.187]). This result indicates that perceived academic support moderated the negative relationship between perceived stress and academic performance, supporting Hypothesis 4.

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This study conducted interviews and surveys with LGBTQ college students at public universities in China. The findings indicate that most LGBTQ college students experience greater stress and suffer from varying degrees of depression, anxiety, and other unhealthy psychological conditions. The negative effects of perceived stress on the psychological well-being and academic performance of LGBTQ college students were verified in the Chinese context using the sexual minority stress model and COR theory. Using proactive coping as a personal factor and perceived academic support as an environmental factor, this study found that proactive coping weakened the effect of perceived stress on psychological well-being, and perceived academic support weakened the effect of perceived stress on academic performance. This fills a gap in research on LGBTQ college students in mainland China and addresses shortcomings in existing literature on the topic.

Theoretical Implications

The study presents the main theoretical contributions as follows: first, it uses the sexual minority stress model and COR theory to explain the consequences and boundaries of perceived stress among LGBTQ college students in a mainland Chinese university context. Secondly, it demonstrates that perceived stress negatively affects the psychological well-being and academic performance of LGBTQ college students, further expanding the extrapolated value of COR theory. While numerous studies have examined the social pressures experienced by LGBTQ persons and the resulting negative consequences (Evangelista et al., 2022; Lau et al., 2020), there is a dearth of research on the psychological well-being and academic performance of LGBTQ college students in mainland China. This study fills a gap in research on LGBTQ college students in mainland China and contributes to the existing literature on the topic.

Second, this study aims to enhance the understanding of the impact of perceived stress on the psychological well-being and academic performance of LGBTQ college students. The study also examines the moderating effects of proactive coping and perceived academic support, revealing the boundary conditions of the consequences of perceived stress on this population. Researchers have investigated the impact of perceived academic support on the academic performance of LGBTQ youth (Poteat et al., 2021). However, focusing solely on teachers as the source of support is not consistent with the context of Chinese college students' lives. Additionally, academic performance is often measured solely by outcomes and GPA, without considering an individual’s self-assessment of their academic performance. The study measured the perceived academic support from teachers, parents, and peers to investigate the negative moderating effect of perceived academic support on perceived stress and academic performance among LGBTQ college students. Previous studies have not explored the positive role of proactive coping in the LGBTQ population. Therefore, this study aims to explore the negative moderating effect of proactive coping on the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being among LGBTQ college students by using proactive coping as a personal factor.

Finally, in this study, the gay male population participated less in the survey compared to the lesbian population. Alternatively, only a minority of men recognized their identity as gay, and since the ratio of men to women in this survey was generally balanced, however, the percentage of lesbians was significantly higher than the percentage of gays. Since this study used snowball sampling and recruited subjects who voluntarily supported the study through an online platform, we believed that the gay male community is more reluctant to admit their identity, and we hypothesize that this is related to the context of mainland China. It has been suggested that gay men may suffer more pressure due to the traditional belief of needing to maintain family lineage (X. Liu et al., 2018). and are more reluctant to reveal their true identity. This is consistent with previous research (X. Liu et al., 2018).

Practical Implications

This study has practical implications for society. First, as international trade, global cultural exchanges, and education continue to grow (Lau et al., 2020), there is a need for more inclusive and diverse attitudes towards LGBTQ persons. This will help reduce the incidence of stereotyping, stigmatization, and discrimination. “Love is love”, is important, for society as a whole to present a more diverse and inclusive attitude. Psychological services for LGBTQ persons can be established to provide a safe space for university students to communicate with one another.

Second, universities, ought to provide adequate support and counseling services to mitigate the negative effects of perceived stress among LGBTQ college students. Research suggests that LGBTQ college students experience higher levels of stress than their heterosexual counterparts (Evangelista et al., 2022). Additionally, perceived academic support can help alleviate the negative effects of perceived stress. Therefore, college administrators should establish counseling services to guide the thoughts of LGBTQ college students and prevent unnecessary losses. Additionally, support should be provided to help them recover from the stress and loss of resources. Universities ought to strengthen the ideological education of all university students to reduce the occurrence of homophobia.

Third, LGBTQ college students should improve their proactive coping abilities to reduce the negative impact of stress. This study suggests that proactive coping can alleviate the negative effects of perceived stress on psychological well-being. Therefore, LGBTQ college students should continue to strengthen their inner selves and reduce the negative effects of external stress.

Limitations and Future Research

This study has limitations that should be noted. Firstly, the research model was tested using cross-sectional data, which means that caution should be taken when making inferences about causality. Future studies could consider adopting a longitudinal research design. Secondly, the data used in this study were self-reported by LGBTQ college students. Although statistical analyses showed that common method bias was not a serious problem, the findings should be interpreted with this limitation in mind. However, this study used snowball sampling and online voluntary recruitment to recruit study participants, and unclearly, whether LGBTQ college students completed the questionnaire truthfully. To increase the study's credibility, future research could incorporate teacher evaluations of academic performance. This study is the first to validate the negative moderating effects of proactive coping and perceived academic support on the perceived stress, psychological well-being, and academic performance of LGBTQ college students in mainland China. Future research can explore other boundary conditions and pathways to expand the literature on LGBTQ college students' perceived stress in the context of Chinese higher education. Finally, this study lacks research on the mechanisms of perceived stress and their impact on psychological well-being and academic performance among LGBTQ college students in mainland China. In the future, qualitative research using interviews and other methods can be conducted to investigate these mechanisms in-depth.

Ethical standard

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects and/or their legal guardians. The ethical guidelines were followed during the research process. The study was approved by the ethical review committee of Sichuan University, China. Besides, the aim and confidentiality had been explained to the interviewee and prior verbal consent was obtained from the respondent before each interview following the approval of the committee.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, C.M. and J.L.; methodology, J.L.; software, J.L.; validation, C.M. and J.L.; data curation, C.M. and J.L.; writing—original draft preparation, C.M. and J.L.; writing—review and editing, C.M. and J.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: No funding

Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable opinions to improve the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Declaration: Consent to Publish.

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Table Ⅰ. Measurement model and reliability measures

Construct	Composite reliability	Cronbach’s alpha	AVE
Perceived stress	0.874	0.873	0.426
Psychological well-being	0.906	0.899	0.660
Proactive coping	0.987	0.976	0.611
Academic performance	0.969	0.968	0.815
Perceived academic support	0.984	0.980	0.801

Note. AVE= Average variance extracted.

All loadings are significant at p<0.001

Table Ⅱ. Goodness-of-fit information for the alternative factor models

Structure	Chi-squared		df	Chi-squared/df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA	SRMR
5-factor model		2525.912	1420	1.779	.943	.941	.047	.040
4-factor model ^a		3836.771	1424	2.694	.876	.871	.069	.107
3-factor model ^b		8312.596	1427	5.825	.647	.633	.116	.156
2-factor model ^c		9358.525	1430	6.544	.594	.578	.124	.178
1-factor model ^d		11898.990	1431	8.315	.463	.443	.143	.185

Note. CFI comparative fit index, TLI Tucker–Lewis index, RMSEA root mean square error of approximation

^a Perceived stress and proactive coping combined into a single factor;

^b Perceived stress and proactive coping and perceived academic support combined into a factor;

^c Perceived stress and proactive coping perceived academic support and psychological well-being combined into a single factor;

^d Perceived stress and proactive coping perceived academic support psychological well-being and academic performance combined into a single factor.

Table Ⅲ. Means, Standard Deviations, and Correlations

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1. Gender ^a	-
2. Age	-.01	-
3. Type ^b	-.02	.18^**	-
4. Subject ^c	.05	.01	.04	-
5. Identity ^d	.04	.13^*	.13^*	-.05	-
6. Perceived stress	-.04	-.13^*	-.13^*	-.01	-.07	-
7. Psychological well-being	.01	.07	.06	.06	-.04	-.28^**	-
8. Proactive coping	.02	.03	.04	-.01	-.01	-.16^**	.54^**	-
9.Academic performance	.00	.17^**	.14^*	.02	.01	-.57^**	.30^**	.31^**	-
10.Perceived academic support	.02	-.05	.08	.00	-.07	-.27^**	.25^**	.46^**	.59^**	-
Mean	1.53	20.65	2.62	2.13	5.82	2.08	3.84	3.39	2.77	3.50
Standard Deviations	.50	1.97	.50	.86	3.44	.89	.76	.95	1.12	1.19

Note. N=359;

^aGender coded as (1 = male, 2 = female);

^bType coded as (1 = higher education institutions, 2 = major university, and 3 = general university, 4 = out-of-state colleges and universities (where gay marriage is legal), 5 = out-of-state colleges and universities (where gay marriage is not legal), 6 = out-of-state colleges and universities (not sure if gay marriage is legal in their region), 7 = others);

^cSubject coded as (1 = science, 2 = engineering, 3 = liberal arts, 4 = philosophy, 5 = economics (business), 6 = law, 7 = history, 8 = management studies, 9 = military science, 10 = arts, 10 = medicine, 11 = education, 12 = other social sciences, 13 = other cross-disciplines, 14 = other);

^d Identity coded as (1 = lesbian, 2 = gay, 3 = bisexual, 4 = transgender, 5 = other (pansexual, asexual or another sexual minority), 6 = uncertain);

+p < .1; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Table Ⅳ. Summary of path-analytic results

	Psychological well-being		Academic performance
	B	SE	B	SE
Perceived stress	-.282^***	.080	-.594^***	.072
Proactive coping	.664^***	.068
Perceived stress × Proactive coping	-.126^**	.041
Perceived academic support			.444^***	.038
Perceived stress × Perceived academic support			-.196^***	.056
Gender ^a	-.031	.101	-.042	.074
age	.007	.026	.070^***	.019
Type ^b	.015	.061	.056	.045
Subject ^c	.016	.015	-.003	.011
Identity ^d	-.026	.057	.006	.042

Note. B= Path coefficients; SE=Standardized errors; Path coefficients are unstandardized;

Number of bootstrap samples are 2000; Level of confidence is 95%;

^aGender coded as (1 = male, 2 = female);

^bType coded as (1 = higher education institutions, 2 = major university, and 3 = general university, 4 = out-of-state colleges and universities (where gay marriage is legal), 5 = out-of-state colleges and universities (where gay marriage is not legal), 6 = out-of-state colleges and universities (not sure if gay marriage is legal in their region), 7 = others);

^cSubject coded as (1 = science, 2 = engineering, 3 = liberal arts, 4 = philosophy, 5 = economics (business), 6 = law, 7 = history, 8 = management studies, 9 = military science, 10 = arts, 10 = medicine, 11 = education, 12 = other social sciences, 13 = other cross-disciplines, 14 = other);

^d Identity coded as (1 = lesbian, 2 = gay, 3 = bisexual, 4 = transgender, 5 = other (pansexual, asexual or another sexual minority), 6 = uncertain);

+p < .1; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Table Ⅴ. Bootstrapping results for testing moderation effect

	B	SE	95% Boot CI
	Perceived stress → Psychological well-being
High ^a(+SD)	-.396^**	.086	[-.568, -.231]
Low ^a(-SD)	-.170	.112	[-.407, .038]
Difference ^a	-.226^**	.077	[-.369, -.080]
	Perceived stress → Academic performance
High ^b(+SD)	-.820^**	.111	[-1.055, -.626]
Low ^b(-SD)	-.368^**	.110	[-.595, -.156]
Difference ^b	-.451^**	.150	[-.762, -.187]

Note. B= Path coefficients; SE=Standardized errors; CI that excludes zero indicates that the indirect effects are significant; Path coefficients are unstandardized.

Low ^a refers to one standard deviation below the mean of the moderator-- proactive coping; high ^a refers to one standard deviation above the mean of the moderator-- proactive coping;

Low ^b refers to one standard deviation below the mean of the moderator--perceived academic support; high ^b refers to one standard deviation above the mean of the moderator--perceived academic support.

+p < .1; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

No competing interests reported.

Self-Transitioning or Other-Transitioning? The Positive Effects of LGBT College Students’ Positive Coping and Perceived Academic Support

Status:

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Abstract

Figures

Introduction

Theory and hypotheses

Method

Results

Discussion

Declarations

Ethical standard

References

Tables

Additional Declarations

Status:

Version 1