The longitudinal course of belongingness, loneliness, and emotional intelligence in LGBTQ+ college students

Introduction The longitudinal patterns of belongingness, loneliness, and emotional intelligence (EI) have not yet been documented among LGBTQ+ college students. Methods The current study was a secondary data analysis of the longitudinal College Student Mental Health Pathways study. Participants ( N = 2,698; LGBTQ-identifying n = 748) were followed through college and assessed once per year, with new participants added each year. Constructs of interest were assessed via self-report using the General Belongingness Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. LGBTQ+ status (defined as holding a minoritized sexual identity, a minoritized gender identity, multiply minoritized—sexual and gender—identities, or no minoritized sexual or gender identities) was self-reported. Results At baseline, participants with minoritized sexual identities and multiply minoritized identities reported significantly lower belongingness and EI than non-minoritized participants. All LGBTQ+ participants reported higher loneliness than their non-LGBTQ+ peers at baseline. There was a significant time * LGBTQ+ status interaction for belongingness scores among students with minoritized sexual identities, though further simple slope and contrast analyses revealed no differences in slope between minoritized sexual identity and non-minoritized students. There were no significant changes over time in loneliness or EI for any participants. Discussion The beginning of LGBTQ+ students' college careers is marked by higher loneliness and lower belongingness than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. While the longitudinal change in these constructs was non-conclusive, this study provides evidence of disparities in certain social-emotional outcomes among LGBTQ+ college students.