Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Youth: The Influence of Rural and Urban Contexts on the Process of Building Identity and Disclosure

Abstract

The study investigates how the territorial community can influence the individual and social well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) youth and especially the recognition of their feelings and the construction of their own identity as well as their needs to be socially recognized. This research focuses on the experiences of 30 LGB individuals (23 males and 7 females), with a mean age of 25.07 years (SD = 4,578), living in urban and rural areas of Southern Italy. Focalized open interviews were conducted, and the Grounded Theory Methodology, supported by the Atlas.ti 8.0 software, was used for data analysis. The textual material was first coded, and then codes were grouped into five macro-categories: Freedom of identity expression in the urban and rural context, identity construction and acceptance process, need of aggregation and identification with the LGB community, role of the interpersonal relationship in the process of identity acceptance, socio-cultural context, and LGB psychological well-being. The results showed a condition common to the two contexts that we can define as “ghettoization.” The young LGB is alone in the rural area due to a lack of places and people to identify with and greater social isolation. On the contrary, although there are more opportunities in the urban area, young people feel stigmatized and ghettoized because “their places” are frequented exclusively by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer (LGBTQ) community. The work will extensively discuss the limitations of the research, future proposals, and the practical implications of the results.

Staff Members’ Experience of Italian Shelters for LGBTQIA+ Homeless and Runaway People: An Exploratory Study

“…In fact, it is important to underline that these areas are important centers with regard to media communication (cinema, fashion, magazines, and radio), LGBTQIA+ meeting venues (clubs, bookshops, and arci circles), university degree courses on gender issues, LGBTQIA+-friendly associations and administrations, and community services. Despite Italy’s in-between situation with regard to the controversial positions of the catholic church and legislative aspects (the law for civil unions does not include stepchild adoptions, and the bill which extended the categories of anti-discrimination law to sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability, also known as the “Zan bill” [ 60 ], was rejected by the Italian Senate in November 2021), the presence of this LGBTQIA+ culture within the social context and formal and informal collaborations can be considered a positive factor that allows these cities to be recognized as places of refuge for people living in surrounding areas [ 61 ]. This makes it possible to improve the monitoring of LGBTQIA+ people’s needs in the territory.…”

Kept in the closet: Structural stigma and the timing of sexual minority developmental milestones across 28 European countries

“…The exact role of structural stigma in the LGB identity developmental processes across ethnic groups remains unknown. Recent studies of rural LGB experiences highlight the negative cultural climate that can characterize some rural locales (Agueli et al, 2022;Hubach et al, 2019) to amplify fears about being discovered, limit access to affirming spaces (Agueli et al, 2022), and drive hostile responses (Hoffelmeyer, 2021), thereby impeding coming out (Agueli et al, 2022). Other research has found no association between coming out and economic security; however, this research has been predominantly among gay men (McGarrity, 2014).…”

The Methodology of Psychological Clinical Intervention in School Settings: Case Studies with Students with Special Emotional and Educational Needs

“…A budget of EUR 18 billion has been financed for this plan. These actions aim to build a cultural scaffolding in Italian societies starting from a reaffirmation of the transformative power of the school and the promotion of teachers capable of reading the social and emotional transformations in which the school and its pupils are immersed, such as for example the impoverishment of families, the difficulty of entering the world of work following the diploma [28], immigration, the presence of new sexualities [29][30][31], and the difficulty of imagining and promoting within the training processes a future of autonomy for students with disabilities throughout their life span [32,33].…”