Religious anti-gay prejudice as a predictor of mental health, abuse, and substance use.

Anti-gay, or homonegative, prejudice is generally considered harmful to the wellbeing of sexual minority individuals. However, the origins or nature of such prejudice may vary. Despite a sizable body of literature suggesting homonegative prejudice is frequently religious-based, the psychological impact of exposure to religious anti-gay prejudice remains largely undetermined.

Specific Techniques Vs. Common Factors? Psychotherapy Integration and its Role in Ethical Practice.

Important change in competent practice in psychological therapy is increasingly being influenced by evidence-based practice. This paper explores major issues related to the evidence-based literature with regard to specific techniques and common factors. Increasing evidence that support common factors provides validity for the psychotherapy integration movement.

Religion, Sexuality, and Internalized Homonegativity: Confronting Cognitive Dissonance in the Abrahamic Religions.

This research was aimed at investigating how religious beliefs and internalized shame predicted homonegativity. An online survey, which consisted of a self-report questionnaire assessing religious orientation, internalized shame, and internalized homonegativity, was completed by 133 Caucasian and Asian gay men. The respondents also were asked to write a short answer in which they had to explain how they integrated their religion and sexual practices.

Sex and the sinner: comparing religious and nonreligious same-sex attracted adults on internalized homonegativity and distress.

Homonegative prejudice has long been connected with poor psychological outcomes. These have often been purported to include internalized homonegativity (IH), an outcome regarded as especially detrimental given its association with a large number of adverse mental health correlates. Given the evidence that homonegative prejudice often prevails most strongly within many mainstream religious contexts, the current study examined whether religious lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals would possess higher levels of internalized homonegativity than their nonreligious, and formerly religious, LGB counterparts.

Male perpetrators, the gender symmetry debate, and the rejection-abuse cycle: implications for treatment.

This review article examined the gender symmetry debate in light of recent research relating to the feminist and family research perspectives on intimate partner violence, providing a context for rethinking perpetrator programs. The concept of coercive control is considered as an explanatory factor in an attempt to integrate the feminist and family research perspectives. The limited effectiveness of perpetrator programs is examined.

Psychotherapy integration: systems theory and self-psychology.

This article highlights the distinction between integration and eclecticism, arguing for an integration in teaching psychotherapy by using a meta-theory. The traditional approach of presenting a sequential range of therapy models may inadvertently advocate an eclectic approach. It begins with a brief consideration of the integration literature, elaborating a meta-theory for integration.

The experience of altered states of consciousness in shamanic ritual: the role of pre-existing beliefs and affective factors.

Much attention has been paid recently to the role of anomalous experiences in the aetiology of certain types of psychopathology, e.g. in the formation of delusions.

Shame, internalized homophobia, identity formation, attachment style, and the connection to relationship status in gay men.

This study reports on a survey of 166 gay men in Sydney, Australia, that explores the links between internalized shame, internalized homophobia, and attachment style. These variables were linked to the age of coming out, family and peer acceptance of their sexuality, relationship status, and previous marriage. Findings suggest a strong relationship between shame, internalized homophobia, and anxious and avoidant attachment style.

Homonegativity and its relationship to religiosity, nationalism and attachment style.

This study investigated the relationships between negative attitudes towards homosexuals and two traditional ideologies: religiosity and nationalism, and explored the link with attachment style. An Internet survey yielded 290 participants, of highly diverse ages, nationalities, and religious backgrounds. The participants provided demographic details, and completed measures of adult attachment, nationalism, religiosity, and both explicit and implicit measures of homonegativity.

Poker mania and problem gambling: a study of distorted cognitions, motivation and alexithymia.

This study examines the relationships between distorted cognitions, motivation, and alexithymia on problem gambling in poker players (n = 96). Respondents completed questionnaires containing the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, Gambling Motivation Scale, Gambler's Beliefs Questionnaire, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. The results suggest that problem gambling is significantly related to distorted cognitions, non-self-determined motivation, and difficulty identifying feelings.

The Maudsley model of family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa: a qualitative evaluation of parent-to-parent consultation.

This article describes the qualitative analysis of a randomized control trial that explores the use of parent-to-parent consultations as an augmentation to the Maudsley model of family-based treatment for anorexia. Twenty families were randomized into two groups, 10 receiving standard treatment and 10 receiving an additional parent-to-parent consultation. Parents of all families were interviewed regarding their experience of treatment and transcripts were analyzed with the assistance of QSR N-Vivo.

Fusion or internalized homophobia? A pilot study of Bowen's differentiation of self hypothesis with lesbian couples.

Bowen, using the concept of differentiation, hypothesized that the way individuals learn to deal with their relationships with families of origin will influence the way they manage their relationships with their partners. This study surveyed a group of 53 lesbian couples on differentiation of self, internalized homophobia, and relationship satisfaction. We found that lesbian couples were not significantly different in their level of differentiation than random pairs.