Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Flourishing: Dimensions from Concept Mapping

Background and Purpose: A disproportionate number of youths in foster care identify as a sexual or gender identity minority (SGM); this term is used broadly to refer to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or other. While more challenging to track than other demographics in foster care due to lack of national survey data and youth feeling unsafe disclosing their identity, available data suggest that at least 30-40% of youth in foster care identify as SGM (Baams et al., 2019; Sandfort, 2020; University of Maryland School of Social Work, 2021), compared to 11% of adolescents in the general population (Kann et al., 2018), and 7.1% of adults in the general population (United States Census Bureau, 2023).

Flourishing is often viewed as the next the optimal state of well-being (VanderWeele, 2017). The construct of flourishing sees psychological health as not only the absence of mental illness, but the presence of mental well-ness (Ignacio et al., 2022). Although considerable advances have been made in promoting positive developmental experiences and outcomes for youth (Seligman, 2012) measures of adolescent well- being in the United States continue to typically focus on negative indicators of youth outcomes, orienting policy and practice towards the prevention of problems over the promotion of protective and promotive factors. The focus of the current study is to investigate flourishing from the point of view of SGM youth and obtain their recommendations for how to support SGM youth who spend time in foster care.

Methods: Concept mapping was conducted as a community-engaged approach that involves a structured, mixed-methods process that integrates qualitative and quantitative elements to facilitate participatory research and stakeholder engagement (Burke et al., 2005). This methodology is particularly suited for engaging communities throughout the research process, from project setup to data interpretation and dissemination (Thompson & Burke, 2020). For this study, a youth research advisory group was established with 25 SGM young people aged 14 – 21 years old who met weekly during the spring of 2025. The group participated in concept mapping around the question “Drawing on your experience, list all the things (good and bad) that contribute to LGBTQIA+ youth flourishing.”

Results: Young people developed a list of 103 key statements that contribute to flourishing. These statements were then sorted into categories and final dimensions were developed by the young people with consensus. The youth research advisory group identified 7 dimensions of flourishing (discrimination, authenticity, expression, self-confidence, acceptance, stability & growth/spirituality). During the final session, the advisory group discussed how to dimensions could be used in public policy and supporting SGM youth broadly and specifically in foster care.

Conclusions and Implications: This study highlights the importance of understanding flourishing from the perspective of SGM youth. By engaging youth in participatory research through concept mapping, the study identified seven dimensions of flourishing that reflect their lived experiences and needs. Future research should explore how these dimensions can be integrated into child welfare systems.