ABSTRACT

Queer university students face multiple stressors which can contribute to mental health difficulties, including minority stressors unique to their queer identities. However, there is little literature exploring stressors faced by queer individuals in university settings. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the current challenges and strengths faced by queer university students in Aotearoa New Zealand, in order to contextualise their mental health experiences. Twenty-eight queer students participated across 12 focus groups or interviews. Two queer researchers thematically analysed the data. Three themes were interpreted from the data: ‘That’s not feminine enough’: the impact of societal ideologies on queer students; ‘There’s one rainbow person in the room’: Tokenism, social isolation, and then finding community; and ‘You know what it’s like to not be heard’: The transformation of challenges into strengths. The findings illustrate how queer university students make meaning of their challenges, and the strengths they develop to mitigate these. Educational institutions are highlighted as important sites of systemic change, to reduce minority stressors in students’ lives.

摘要

酷儿大学生面临多种可能导致心理健康困难的压力源，其中包括其酷儿身份特有的少数压力源。然而，很少有文献探讨酷儿个体在大学环境中面临的压力源。本研究的目的是定性探讨新西兰酷儿大学生当前面临的挑战和优势，以便了解他们的心理健康经历。28 名酷儿学生参加了 12 个焦点小组或访谈。两名酷儿研究人员对数据进行了主题分析。从数据中解读出三个主题：“这不够女性化”：社会意识形态对酷儿学生的影响；“房间里有一个彩虹人”：象征主义、社会孤立、然后寻找社区；和“你知道不被听到是什么感觉”：将挑战转化为优势。研究结果说明了酷儿大学生如何理解他们面临的挑战，以及他们为缓解这些挑战而发展的优势。教育机构被视为系统性变革的重要场所，以减少学生生活中的少数群体压力。