Mental Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Siblings: Effects of Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Family.

Self-identified lesbian, gay male, and bisexual (LGB) individuals were recruited via convenience sampling, and they in turn recruited their siblings (79% heterosexual, 19% LGB). The resulting sample of 533 heterosexual, 558 lesbian or gay male, and 163 bisexual participants was compared on mental health variables and their use of mental health services. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that sexual orientation predicted suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, self-injurious behavior, use of psychotherapy, and use of psychiatric medications over and above the effects of family adjustment. Sexual orientation was unrelated to current psychological distress, psychiatric hospitalizations, and self-esteem. This is the 1st study to model family effects on the mental health of LGB participants and their siblings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy.

The Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest confers the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy on a psychologist who has made a distinguished empirical and/or theoretical contribution to research in public policy, either through a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of work. The 2001 winner is Susan D. Cochran, who won for "her outstanding research and writing on the psychosocial variables that affect the mental and physical health of stigmatized and ethnic minority populations." This document provides Cochran's citation, biography, and selected bibliography, as well as her award address, entitled "Emerging Issues in Research on Lesbians' and Gay Men's Mental Health: Does Sexual Orientation Really Matter?" (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pioneers in Partnership: Lesbian and Gay Male Couples in Civil Unions Compared With Those Not in Civil Unions and Married Heterosexual Siblings.

This study compared 212 lesbians and 123 gay men who had civil unions in Vermont (during the first year legislation made this available) with 166 lesbians and 72 gay men in their friendship network who had not had civil unions, and also with 219 heterosexual married women and 193 heterosexual married men consisting of civil union couples' siblings and their spouses. Married heterosexual couples had been together longer and had more traditional division of labor and child care than did lesbians and gay men in both types of couples. Lesbians in civil unions were more open about their sexual orientation than those not in civil unions, and gay men in civil unions were closer to their family of origin than gay men not in civil unions. This is the first study on same-sex couples with civil unions, and the first to compare lesbians and gay men with their married siblings. At a time of legal changes for same-sex couples, these results indicate that legalized same-sex relationships are related to visibility of same-sex couples to their family and the general public. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section: Mental health of lesbians and gay men.

There has been little focus on the mental health of lesbians and gay men in the 2 decades since homosexuality was removed as a diagnostic category from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1980). This special section contains articles on research methodology on lesbian and gay mental health; the practice and ethics of sexual orientation conversion therapy; the mental health results of the National Lesbian Health Care Survey; ethnicity and sexual orientation; sexual orientation as a factor in research on eating disorders and body dissatisfaction; and verbal and physical abuse as stressors in the lives of lesbian and gay youths. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical Issues in Working With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients.

This article discusses some of the key clinical issues for therapists to consider when working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. After a discussion of the biases that can influence psychotherapy, guidelines are given for conducting LGB-affirmative therapy that avoids these biases. Issues that therapists need to be familiar with in working with LGB clients include LGB identity development; couple relationships and parenting; LGB individuals as members of families; the unique stressors faced by individuals who are underrepresented in the LGB research literature (e.g., older LGB individuals, ethnic minorities, religious LGB individuals, bisexual individuals); and legal and workplace issues. An examination of the published literature is offered with particular emphasis given to the available empirical research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH).

Four studies on the development and validation of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH) were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded 5 factors assessing internalized affirmativeness, civil rights attitudes, knowledge, religious conflict, and hate--indicating that heterosexual knowledge and attitudes regarding LGB individuals could be conceptualized as multidimensional and wide-ranging. The stability of the multidimensional factor structure of the LGB-KASH was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Test-retest stability, internal consistency, and validity coefficients supported the use and continued development of the new instrument. Significant differences were found between heterosexual and LGB individuals on all 5 factors, especially internalized affirmativeness, knowledge, and religious conflict. Implications for theory and research on heterosexual knowledge and attitudes are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Addressing Multiple Relationships Between Clients and Therapists in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities.

Therapists working in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities are likely to experience the potential to engage in multiple relationships with their clients. Currently, the American Psychological Association's (2002) ethics code and the related literature base offer minimal direct guidance to therapists practicing in LGBT communities. In this article, the authors review current literature regarding multiple relationships in psychotherapy, considering how this literature addresses issues specific to practitioners working within LGBT communities, present a case study highlighting the negotiation of a multiple relationship between a client and therapist who both identify as lesbian, and offer recommendations for practitioners working within LGBT communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gay-related stress and emotional distress among gay, lesbian and bisexual youths: A longitudinal examination.

The longitudinal relations between gay-related stress (i.e., gay-related stressful events, negative attitudes toward homosexuality, and discomfort with homosexuality) and emotional distress (i.e., anxious symptoms, depressive symptoms, and conduct problems) were examined at 3 assessment periods (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months) among 140 gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) youths. Although some findings were consistent with the hypothesis that stress would be associated with subsequent distress among GLB youths, the larger number of nonsignificant relations and the presence of relations between distress and subsequent gay-related stress indicate that the hypothesis was unsupported. The authors discuss the potential reasons for the lack of hypothesized relations and offer suggestions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Les psychotherapies de conversion pour les personnes gaies, lesbiennes et bisexuelles : enjeux ethiques et deontologiques.

This critical analysis deals with conversion psychotherapies intended for gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLB) as well as the moral and ethical debate surrounding such therapies. It sets out the history and use of various types of reorientation treatments. It also includes an assessment of therapy effectiveness and associated moral and ethical challenges. The horns of the dilemma are as follows: should therapists respond to the demands of GLB clients who claim they wish to submit to reorientation therapy in order to comply with their code of professional conduct, or should they reject such requests on the basis that they stem from a climate of social intolerance? The discussion concludes that the crux of the matter is the demand expressed by GLB clients and that, prior to engaging in conversion therapy, mental health professionals should carefully weigh the motivation of individuals who seek to change their sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual-orientation-related differences in verbal fluency.

This study examined the performance of 60 heterosexual men, 60 gay men, 60 heterosexual women, and 60 lesbians on 3 tests of verbal fluency known to show gender differences: letter, category, and synonym fluency. Gay men and lesbians showed opposite-sex shifts in their profile of scores. For letter fluency, gay men outperformed all other groups; lesbians showed the lowest scores. For category fluency, gay men and heterosexual women jointly outperformed lesbians and heterosexual men. Finally, gay men outperformed all other groups on synonym fluency, whereas lesbians and heterosexual men performed similarly. A difference between heterosexual men and women was demonstrated on category and synonym fluency only. The findings implicate within-sex differences in the functioning of the prefrontal and temporal cortices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)