'Thank God It Was Me': Antecedents and Consequences of Identity Integration for LGBTQ+ Christians

Identity conflict is a common struggle that many LGBTQ+ Christians contend with due to many Christian denominations promoting anti-LGBTQ+ hate and harm. This harm causes many LGBTQ+ Christians to leave the faith, giving up one of their social identities and losing the psychological benefits of religion, namely increased life satisfaction and meaning in life. Previous literature has found identity integration to be a solution to identity conflict, but it is still unknown what antecedents allow LGBTQ+ Christians to achieve identity integration. Gender differences, three self-identification age milestones, having LGBTQ+ Christian role models, and perceived congregation support. Four-hundred five LGBTQ+ Christians (Mage = 33.12 years, SD = 12.10) were recruited through Prolific and Western Washington University Human Subjects Pool. The majority of the sample reported being bisexual. Older age of self-realization, having LGBTQ+ Christian role models, and higher perceived congregation support all significantly increased identity integration. Identity integration also partially mediated the relationship between role models and perceived congregation support and subjective well-being outcomes. Results highlight the importance of finding LGBTQ+ Christian role models and supportive churches. Future research should strive to include the experiences of transgender and nonbinary Christians, along with LGBTQ+ Christians of color.