Resilience in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Populations: An Integrative Literature Review

Growing attention has been paid to the process of resilience in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. The aim of this article was to perform an integrative review of the literature on resilience in LGB populations so as to identify and describe the main conceptual dimensions studied. The SciELO, PePSIC, LILACS, Index Psi, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases were searched for articles published up to and including the year 2015. After the applications of inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample consisted of 39 articles. Three main dimensions of resilience appear to be studied in the literature: individual, family, and community-based. The majority of studies retrieved were international, empirical, cross-sectional, and quantitative, with a focus on individual resilience. Few studies discuss the simultaneous interaction between the individual, family, and social contexts, and their contributions to the process of resilience. The conceptual dimensions of resilience must be further integrated to provide a more accurate description of its relational and systemic nature.