Coming out and the experience of heterosexism as determinants of quality of life among homosexual and bisexual individuals

Authors

  • Julia Ł. Jankowska Institute of Psychology UWr
  • Wiktoria Miazek Institute of Psychology UWr
  • Michalina Bankiewicz Institute of Psychology UWr
  • Zofia Pluta Institute of Psychology UWr
  • Aurelia Sas Institute of Psychology UWr

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/onis2025.6

Keywords:

coming out, heterosexism, quality of life, homosexual individuals, bisexual individuals, LGBT

Abstract

Objective. The aim of the study was to examine whether the degree of coming out among homosexual and bisexual individuals and the level of their experience of heterosexism are related to their overall sense of quality of life.
Methods. The Sense of Quality of Life Questionnaire (Straś-Romanowska, 1995) was used to assess quality of life. Negative experiences related to heterosexism were measured using the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ; Balsam, Beadnell, Molina, 2013). The level of coming out was assessed with a self-developed Social Experiences Questionnaire (Bankiewicz, Jankowska, Miazek, Pluta, Sas, 2024).
Results. A total of 183 individuals participated in the study (87 women, 96 men). The results indicate that a higher level of coming out is associated with a higher sense of quality of life. On the other hand, experiences of heterosexism were not related to the level of perceived quality of life.
Conclusions. The perceived quality of life of homosexual and bisexual individuals does not significantly differ based on their sexual orientation or experiences of heterosexism; however, it may be related to their level of coming out. Moreover, the higher the level of experienced heterosexism, the lower the likelihood of coming out.

Keywords: Coming out, heterosexism, quality of life, homosexual individuals, bisexual individuals, LGBT

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Author Biographies

Julia Ł. Jankowska, Institute of Psychology UWr

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in psychology, specializing in adult clinical psychology at the University of Wrocław. Her academic interests include topics in clinical psychology, personality disorders, and parasocial relationships.

Wiktoria Miazek, Institute of Psychology UWr

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in psychology, specializing in adult clinical psychology at the University of Wrocław. Her academic interests include topics in sexology, personality disorders, and neuropsychology.

Michalina Bankiewicz, Institute of Psychology UWr

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in psychology, specializing in adult clinical psychology at the University of Wrocław. Her academic interests include topics in sexology, particularly sexual orientation, coming out, and minority stress, as well as education and working with young people.

Zofia Pluta, Institute of Psychology UWr

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in psychology, specializing in adult clinical psychology at the University of Wrocław. Her academic interests include topics in clinical, developmental, and health psychology.

Aurelia Sas, Institute of Psychology UWr

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in psychology, specializing in clinical and educational psychology of children and adolescents at the University of Wrocław. Her academic interests include topics in educational and developmental psychology, with a particular focus on the systemic approach to family functioning.

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Published

2025-09-30

How to Cite

[1]
Jankowska, J., Miazek, W., Bankiewicz, M., Pluta, Z. and Sas, A. 2025. Coming out and the experience of heterosexism as determinants of quality of life among homosexual and bisexual individuals. Gardens of Science and Arts. 15, 15 (Sep. 2025). DOI:https://doi.org/10.15503/onis2025.6.

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 15 (2025): Gardens of Science and Arts

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Julia Ł. Jankowska, Wiktoria Miazek, Michalina Bankiewicz, Zofia Pluta, Aurelia Sas

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.