Meaning in life, death anxiety, and spirituality in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community: A scoping review

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Psychology

Document Type

Article

Source Title

Sexuality & Culture

Volume

27

First Page

636

Last Page

658

Publication Date

2023

Abstract

The changes in people’s way of life through the years raise questions on how
they address existential needs and concerns, particularly those related to life and
death and spiritual connections. Through a scoping review, we surveyed studies on
meaning in life, death anxiety, and spirituality within the lesbian, gay, and bisexual
(LGB) community. We determined the extent to which these variables have been
studied among LGB participants. A total of 28 eligible articles were reviewed. Six
studies were found about meaning in life, five studies about death anxiety, and 16
studies about spirituality. Results suggest that meaning in life was derived from
experiences related to parenthood, couplehood, and work satisfaction. Studies on
death anxiety among LGB participants, which date back to the 1980 and 1990s,
indicated the need to conduct present studies in this area. The review showed that
LGB members distinguished between spirituality and religion, giving them more
positive recognition of the former than the latter. The forms of spiritual expression
were anchored to religious practices, for some, and other expressions of belief and
faith outside the confines of formally established religions. Spiritual expressions
generally accorded the LGB members direction and satisfaction in life. Not all
segments of the LGB community were represented in the studies. The available
studies, dominantly quantitative, centered only on the LGB experience. Target age
groups varied across the studies. The review indicates that future studies can work
on exploring these existential factors, considering the emerging contexts and para -
digms. Future research can focus on determining what factors contribute to meaning
in life, given the changes in time.

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Disciplines

Gender and Sexuality | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Gay people—Psychology; Meaning (Psychology)

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