The Cognitive-Behavioral Impact of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Marriage equality legislation was introduced in Australia in 2017 following a national survey of enrolled voters conducted via the postal system (“the postal survey”). Consistent with other major anti-LGBTQ rights campaigns, research has demonstrated that this event posed a unique source of social stress for LGBTQ people. This study seeks to expand the clinical utility of previous research by employing a cognitive-behavioral lens to explore the life stressors reported by LGBTQ Australians during the postal survey. During the postal survey period, a sample of 2,200 LGBTQ Australians answered the open-ended question, “Do you think the public discussion about marriage equality and the marriage equality postal survey has affected you and/or your family? If so, how?” Seven hundred of these responses were randomly selected and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Cognitive themes were hyperawareness of stigma, social and political exclusion, changes in self-perception, and fear of harm. Affective themes were anger, anxiety, and sadness. Behavioral themes were avoidance, changing social relationships, hiding identity, and preoccupation. The physiological theme was exhaustion. The results have implications for the assessment and treatment of LGBTQ people experiencing distress in the face of future anti-LGBTQ rights campaigns