The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3 - 50

Zachary R. Blackmon, Robert M. O'Hara, Jordan W. Viars

LGBQ microaggressions,within the residential
context on their sense of belonging?

The regression equation

METHOD

individuals' perceptions of being

The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of the experiences of LGBQ
students with regards to microaggressions in
the residential climate on their sense of belonging within that context. Additionally, the
current study aimed to understand the role of
LGBQ students' sexual identity development
as a moderator of the influence of microaggressions on their sense of belonging. This
study followed a correlational design utilizing
a survey methodology with three measures.
The LGBQ Microaggressions on Campus
Scale (Woodford, Chonody, et al., 2015) was
used to measure both interpersonal and environmental microaggressions. The Psychological Sense of University membership (PSUM)
scale (Alkan, 2016) was used to evaluate the
sense of belonging. Finally, the Measure of
Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment
(MoSIEC) (Worthington, Navarro, Savoy, &
Hampton, 2008) was used to examine sexual
identity development.

targeted by environmental LGBQ

Participants for the current study were selected from a population of students who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer. For the
purposes of this study, students were expected
to be undergraduate students who lived in university-owned/managed housing and identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ).
Participants were recruited via email, which
the researchers distributed to campus-based
professionals through various professional organizations and social media. Among the 169
participants in the current study, 62 (36.69%)
identified as bisexual; 51 (30.18%) identified as
50

indicated that an increase in

microaggressions decreased sense of
belonging.

queer; 32 (18.93%) identified as gay; and 24
(14.20%) identified as lesbian. With regards
to gender, 88 participants (52.07%) identified
as female; 44 (26.04%) identified as male; 31
(18.34%) identified in ways other than male
or female including transgender, non-binary, agender, genderqueer, etc.; and another
6 (2.84%) chose not to answer. Blackmon
(2018) reported additional information on participants including race/ethnicity, state, and
student characteristics (i.e. full-time, domestic,
student-athlete).
In terms of their living situations, most
participants (n = 89, 52.66%) lived in university housing for one to two semesters while
41 (24.26%) lived in university housing for
three to four semesters, 24 (14.20%) for five
to six semesters, 13 (7.69%) for seven to eight
semesters, and 2 (1.18%) for nine or more semesters. Ninety-three participants (55.03%) reported that their institutions had no residential
requirement, 63 (37.28%) reported a one-year
live-on requirement, 10 (5.92%) reported a twoyear live-on requirement, two (1.18%) reported
a three-year live-on requirement, and one
(0.59%) reported a four-year live-on requirement. Students reported varied experiences

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3

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