Term of Award

Fall 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

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

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Jeffrey Klibert

Committee Member 1

Brandon Weiss

Committee Member 2

Lindsey Stone

Abstract

Pride in LGBTQIA+ spaces has thus far been an ethereal concept with no universally agreed-upon definition. Previous literature frequently connects pride to traits such as resilience, comfort, confidence, and identity expression. This is a critical oversight, as most measures of LGBTQIA+ experiences focus on the negative aspects of queer experiences (e.g., vulnerability, victimization) or are created to evaluate non-LGBTQIA+ perceptions of LGBTQIA+ people, falsely characterizing this community in a deficit-based light. In response, this study aimed to offer a holistic definition of pride and develop a psychometrically sound measure of pride stemming from culturally salient expressions by using rigorous analytical procedures with samples of LGBTQIA+ adults in the United States. Three studies were conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure. Study 1 generated a stable definition of pride by detecting a three-identified factor measure comprised of liberation pride, resilient pride, and identity pride. In Study 2, a competing confirmatory analytic procedure (CFA) determined the best structure of the model. Notably, the analysis indicated a second-order/hierarchical model with three first-order factors that fit the data best. Reliability estimates for the three-factor model were excellent. Study 3 evaluated the factor stability of the model. None of the four competing models met standard fit and measurement quality criteria. However, the pride total and dimension scores demonstrated excellent concurrent and predictive validity with measures of positive identity development, positive emotions, and flourishing. High attrition and low power likely contributed to the null findings associated with factor stability. Taken together, the current pride measure meets preliminary psychometric properties but would benefit from further research. The Queer Pride Scale offers an innovative platform by which pride is defined and organized into a meaningful positive psychological construct within the LGBTQIA+ literature.

OCLC Number

1517961286

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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