Predictors of LGBTQ2SIA+ Students' Perception of Campus Climate

Background: Discrimination is consistently linked to adverse mental health and diminished well-being among LGBTQ2SIA+ people, and these effects extend into educational settings. LGBTQ2SIA+ college students must navigate the developmental transition into higher education while simultaneously confronting identity‑based discrimination on campus. Intersectional identities further shape these experiences; for example, disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students report higher levels of discrimination than their non‑disabled peers. Negative perceptions of campus climate are associated with poorer academic outcomes, including lower grade point averages, reduced retention, and increased intention to withdraw. Conversely, protective factors such as peer support, institutional support, and LGBTQ2SIA+ community connection can buffer these harms and improve both climate perceptions and academic functioning. The current study sought to assess predictors of campus climate to better understand LGBTQ2SIA+ students' experiences at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and to tailor services, programming, and policy to better serve these students.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the data from the “Brick by Brick: LGBTQ2SIA+ Campus Climate Survey,” collected from students at UIC. The survey was advertised via university listservs for LGBTQ2SIA+ students and on flyers throughout the university. Participants who self-selected into the survey were provided electronic informed consent. Of the 325 participants, 4 participant responses were deemed fraudulent, leaving 321 surveys for analysis. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) with full information maximum likelihood to examine campus climate and it’s associations among a predictor set that included: demographics, visibility of LGBTQ2SIA+ students/staff/faculty, experiences with discrimination on campus, positive classroom environments that promote LGBTQ2SIA+ education, sense of community among students, overall student health, institutional support, identity disclosure, and connection to the institution. Campus climate was measured using 13 items measuring perceptions of safety on campus, belonging, institutional responsiveness, and exposure to heterosexism. Each item was measured on a six-point Likert scale, with one indicating a negative perception of campus climate and 6 being a positive perception of campus climate. Items were summed, with the average score for each participant used as the dependent variable.

Results: The best-fitting SEM for campus climate yielded LRchi2 = 120.674 (p < .001), with institutional support emerging as a strong positive predictor of campus climate (β = 0.70, p < .001). Disability status was associated with more negative perceptions of campus climate (β = –0.04, p < .05). A significant interaction between institutional support and disability status (β = –0.23, p < .001) indicated that disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students benefit less from institutional support than their non‑disabled peers.

Discussion: For non-disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students, increased support improved campus climate more when compared to disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ people. These results underscore the need for institutions to develop targeted, accessible, and disability‑inclusive supports rather than assuming that broad LGBTQ2SIA+ initiatives meet the needs of all students. Future research should further examine the mechanisms through which disability shapes campus climate perceptions and identify institutional practices that effectively support disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students.