{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T10:17:18Z","timestamp":1783937838676,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,19]],"date-time":"2023-07-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1689724800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Poland is one of the most discriminatory places in Europe. The political situation, legal policies, and society\u2019s attitude towards people from the LGBTQ+ community in Poland clearly indicate the need to study the mental health and well-being of this group of individuals. Based on Meyer\u2019s minority stress theory, Bowlby\u2019s attachment theory, the Ainsworth attachment framework, Diener\u2019s subjective well-being model, and provided empirical evidence, this study examined the significance of attachment styles and anxiety as predictors of life satisfaction among the Polish LGBTQ+ community. It also explored the differences between LGBTQ+ and heterosexual individuals in the levels of tested variables. A total of 414 participants took part in this study, of whom most study participants were young adults (M = 24.50; SD = 6.94). Of those, 130 participants identified themselves as heterosexual, while 284 declared themselves members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Plopa\u2019s Attachment Styles Questionnaire, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used. Data demonstrate that anxiety and attachment styles were significant predictors of life satisfaction in the LGBTQ+ community. Moreover, LGBTQ+ individuals had higher non-secure attachment styles and anxiety scores, and lower life satisfaction scores in comparison to heterosexual individuals. The presented study is the first Polish study to test such relationships in the Polish LGBTQ+ community. It draws attention to lower life satisfaction among study participants representing the LGBTQ+ community in comparison to cisgender heterosexual individuals. This indicates that researchers, clinical specialists and practitioners should try to improve the levels of subjective well-being in Polish LGBTQ+ individuals, for example, through psychoeducational and supportive programs. In addition, the presented results highlight the possible important role of attachment styles in the functioning of the presented group.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20146392","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,19]],"date-time":"2023-07-19T21:22:58Z","timestamp":1689801778000},"page":"6392","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Anxiety, Attachment Styles and Life Satisfaction in the Polish LGBTQ+ Community"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Zofia","family":"Kardasz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Social Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Opole University, 45-040 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4847-1429","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafa\u0142","family":"Gerymski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Psychology and Quality of Life, Institute of Psychology, Opole University, 45-040 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arkadiusz","family":"Parker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PROMENADA Foundation, 45-753 Opole, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"BBC (2020). 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