Date of Award

6-19-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor/Committee Member

Keyne C. Law, Ph.D.

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Sunny Ho, Ph.D.

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Sage Willis, Ph.D.

Abstract

LGBTQ+ students at religiously-affiliated colleges experience unique stressors related to discrimination, campus climate, and stigma, which have been linked to negative outcomes including suicidal ideation. Drawing on sociocultural theories of suicide and minority stress, the present study examined whether internalized LGBTQ+ related stigma mediated the relationships between discrimination, negative campus climate, and suicidal ideation among college students attending religious institutions. Participants (N = 75) included college students who identified as LGBTQ+, recruited mainly within the Pacific Northwest. Participants were majority White, assigned female at birth (AFAB), and diverse in gender identity and sexual orientation. Measures assessed experiences of discrimination, campus climate, internalized stigma, and past-year suicidal ideation. Logistic regression and mediation analyses did not support a mediating role of internalized stigma in either model. Although discrimination was significantly associated with internalized stigma (b = 0.21, p = .005), neither internalized stigma (b = 0.33, p = .436) nor campus climate (b = 0.41, p = .327) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Campus climate was not significantly associated with internalized stigma (b = 0.06, p = .303). Neither discrimination (b = 0.06, p = .308) nor campus climate (b = 0.06, p = .072) demonstrated significant direct effects, and indirect effects were not statistically significant (ACME = 0.0149, p = .438; ACME = 0.0039, p = .583). These findings suggest internalized stigma may not represent a primary mechanism linking external stressors to suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ students in religious contexts. Rather, broader interpersonal, institutional, and contextual processes may better explain suicidal ideation in this population, particularly given relatively low xi observed levels of discrimination and internalized stigma. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the factors shaping suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ students in religious higher education, suggesting these relationships may be complex and context-dependent. Findings support continued investigation of discrimination, campus climate, and internalized stigma among LGBTQ+ college students and highlight the need for larger and more diverse studies to clarify how these factors relate to suicidal ideation within religious higher education.

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