Abstract
Stigmatization directed towards LGBTQ individuals poses a considerable threat to their psychological well-being. LGBTQ college students frequently report exposure to perceived stress and microaggressions. Research indicates that self-regulation and proactive coping mechanisms can act as a protective buffer against the stigma and bias faced by sexual minorities. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate whether and to what extent proactive coping and perceived academic support moderate the relationship between perceived stress specific to LGBTQ college students, their psychological well-being, and academic performance. The study involved the snowball sampling and online recruitment of 359 Chinese LGBTQ college students with a mean age of 20.65. Employing structural equation modeling analysis, the study revealed that a) proactive coping moderated the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being, and b) perceived academic support moderated the relationship between perceived stress and academic performance. These findings suggest that Chinese colleges should implement adequate support and counseling services to enhance the proactive coping abilities of LGBTQ students and create an academically supportive environment to alleviate the adverse effects of perceived stress on psychological well-being.