THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORS AND MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR LGBT+ UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Oct 15, 2026

LGBT+ undergraduate students face elevated health and mental health risks due to unsupportive environments across home, school, and society, including experiences of discrimination. Research highlights mentorship and social support as crucial, particularly during discriminatory encounters. An online survey of 289 LGBT+ undergraduate students at one Midwestern university assessed discrimination experiences, perceptions of mentoring, and mentoring program benefits. Most reported no current LGBT+ mentor, and many indicated the university’s acceptance could improve, supporting mentoring programs to foster affirmation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Background and Rationale

Discrimination and health/mental health impacts

Institutional and legal context

Survey Study Overview

Participants and survey focus

Findings and Discussion

THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORS AND MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR LGBT+ UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS Vincent Sarna Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work Michael P . Dentato Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work Cara M . DiClemente Loyola University Chicago, Department of Psychology Maryse H . Richards Loyola University Chicago Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender + (LGBT+) undergraduate student community are at heightened risk for a variety of health and mental health challenges due to unsupportive environments which may include home, school, and society. However, research underscores the importance of mentors, mentorship, and other social supports upon the mental health of LGBT+ youth, especially when navigating discriminatory experiences. An online survey was conducted among LGBT+ undergraduate college students within one mid-sized university located in the Midwest to assess experiences with discrimination, perceptions of mentoring, and the beneficial components of mentoring programs. 289 LGBT+ undergraduate students (65.7% cisgender female, 47.8% ages 19-20, 51.2% bisexual) responded with 71.6% of participants reporting no current LGBT+ mentor. 56.4% either agreed or strongly agreed that acceptance of the LGBT+ community could be improved at the university. Discussion centers upon the importance of mentoring programs for LGBT+ undergraduate students to provide support and create a more affirming college experience. Keywords: LGBT+, mentoring, undergraduates, mental health, social supports Please direct inquires about this manuscript to: Michael P. Dentato, [mdentato@luc.edu](mdentato@luc.edu) College Student Affairs Journal, Volume 39(2), pp. 180-199 ISSN 2381-2338 Copyright 2021 Southern Association for College Student Affairs All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 181 College Student Affairs Journal Vol. 39 No. 2, 2021 L esbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender + (LGBT+) undergraduate students across the U.S. continue to face a variety of struggles stemming from homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia emanating from interactions with a variety of social, economic, and political systems (Kulick, Wernick, Woodford, et al., 2017) . The impact of such discrimination, oppressive legislation, and anti-LGBT+ messages cannot be overlooked with regard to placing additional external stressors upon sexual and gender minority undergraduate students (Woodford, Han, Craig, et al., 2014) . For example, in October 2019, the Trump administration argued that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not protect LGBT individuals from workplace discrimination and termination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity (Liptak & Peters, 2019) . The resultant ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, GA by the Supreme Court in June 2020 affirmed that Title VII does in fact protect LGBT employees from workplace discrimination. Relatedly, in July 2020 the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced possible updates on gender based policies for homeless shelters that would allow transgender or gender diverse people to be turned away or result in accommodations based on one’s assigned sex at birth rather than gender identity (Cameron, 2020) . At the school level, a report from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) indicated that 59.1% of LGBTQ students, ages 13 to 21, felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation and 42.5% because of their gender expression (Kosciw, Clark, Truong, et al., 2019) . Thereport also found that 86.3% of LGBTQ students experienced harassment or physical assault due to their identity (Kosciw, et al., 2019) . The Human Rights Campaign (2018) highlighted that only 19 states have anti bullying laws specifically for LGBTQ youth and only 13 states (plus the District of Columbia) have specific discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ youth. A 2016 study by The Center for American Progress found that one in four LGBT people re

FAQs

Why are mentors and mentoring programs important for LGBT+ undergraduates?

Mentorship and social supports help buffer the mental health effects of unsupportive and discriminatory environments, especially when students navigate discriminatory experiences.

What did the survey assess in LGBT+ undergraduate college students?

The study assessed experiences with discrimination, perceptions of mentoring, and the beneficial components of mentoring programs.

What were key findings about LGBT+ mentoring availability and campus acceptance?

Most respondents reported no current LGBT+ mentor, and a substantial share agreed or strongly agreed that acceptance of the LGBT+ community could be improved at the university.

Oct 15, 2026

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