MODERATING EFFECTS OF RELIGIOSITY AND SPIRITUALITY IN BISEXUAL & PANSEXUAL ADULTS 

Internalized homophobia is a risk factor for depression among Queer individuals. Spirituality has been shown to serve as a moderator for this link, suggesting that the feeling of connectedness individuals receive from practicing spirituality or religion protects homosexual people from the negative consequences of depression and suicidal thoughts. However, bisexual people report higher feelings of isolation and group rejection from their LGBTQ+ and faith communities, raising the question of whether spirituality serves as a buffer for bisexual and pansexual people as it does for homosexual people. In the present study, we will recruit a sample of bisexual and pansexual adults and test the question of whether spirituality and religiosity moderate the link between internalized homophobia and depression. Participants will respond to questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms, internalized homophobia, and the extent to which they identify as religious or spiritual. Rather than faith-based practices buffering the association between internalized homophobia and depression, as we have seen in heterosexual and homosexual individuals, we hypothesize that religiosity and spirituality will exacerbate this relationship among our bisexual and pansexual participants. If this hypothesis is supported, it will add to the growing body of work suggesting that the protective effects of spirituality and religiosity on mental health may not extend equally across all sexual minority groups, highlighting the need for more nuanced approaches to supporting bisexual and pan sexual identifying individuals. 

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