Welcome to the Diamond Lab!
Dr. Lisa Diamond and her research team conduct research on the importance of social safety (i.e., unconditional social connection, inclusion, belonging, and protection) for health and well-being, and especially for the health and well-being of stigmatized groups (such as LGBTQ+ individuals and those who experience multiple forms of stigma or social exclusion).
Our research aims to find SOLUTIONS to the mental health problems that arise when individuals do not feel fully included, accepted, affirmed, and protected by those around them. We have focused particular attention on the unique challenges facing LGBTQ+ individuals (and their family members) who have been raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We aim to identify concrete strategies to ensure that everyone in the family can go through important life changes while maintaining a foundation of unconditional love, protection, warmth, joy, and affirmation.
Our research shows that the individuals with the greatest resilience are those who feel that they matter to someone. We all need to feel that there is at least person in our lives who would come running if we were hurt, sick, or in trouble. Sometimes this person is a parent, sometimes it’s a spouse, a coach, a doctor, a teacher, a friend, a roommate, a neighbor, a colleague, a supervisor. Humans need to matter to someone to survive and thrive, and our research is trying to show how and why mattering matters.
All LGBTQ+ individuals face unique challenges, but there are additional challenges faced by those who were raised in the LDS faith. Our research team is doing an online questionnaire study of these challenges, so that we can offer targeted support resources for this community. The questionnaire asks about individuals’ histories of participation in the LDS church, their emotional experiences in and out of the church, and their mental health.
We are particularly interested in understanding the supportive relationships that LGBTQ individuals find beneficial, and so we are also recruiting individuals who consider themselves to be important support providers for LGBTQ individuals raised in the church. The study is completely voluntary, and all information is completely confidential. Participants will be compensated for their time. For more information, and to receive a weblink to the survey, email us at the following address: diamondlab@utah.edu.