Religion and sexual identities.

Religion and sexuality have a complex, deep-rooted relationship. Religions often teach how aspects of sexuality should be conducted, typically promoting heterosexuality. Such discourse is at odds with a growing population using sexual minority identities.

Racism in oral healthcare settings: Implications for dental care-related fear/anxiety and utilization among Black/African American women in Appalachia.

Objective: To explore the association of racism in oral healthcare settings and dental care-related fear/anxiety with dental utilization among Black/African American women in Appalachia.

Methods: We analyzed self-report measures of racism in oral healthcare settings, dental care-related anxiety and fear, recency of a dental visit, and demographic information from 268 pregnant women participating in the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA) SMILE cohort. All participants self-identified as African American or Black and resided in Appalachia (i.

Endorsement of Feminist Beliefs, Openness, and Mindful Acceptance as Predictors of Decreased Transphobia.

The inclusion of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals in feminist theory, discourse, and activism is fraught with controversy. Given this historical tension within various feminism movements, the current study sought to understand the nature of the relationship between endorsement of feminist beliefs and transphobia, and whether the specific individual-level factors such as openness to experience and mindful acceptance, moderate such a relationship. Analyzing data from a sample of 211 participants recruited from the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform, the regression analyses indicate both endorsement of feminist beliefs and openness to experience are independent inverse predictors of transphobia, net of other variables in the regression models.

Sexual identity and confidence in medicine: an analysis of national survey data.

The institution of medicine has at times been associated with the pathologisation of sexual minority individuals. Studies also show that sexual minority individuals sometimes encounter discrimination or hostility when interacting with medical professionals. The current study asks whether this results in a systematic lack of confidence in medicine among sexual minority groups, which could have consequences for these groups' utilisation of health care.

An Exploratory Study of Predictors of Relationship Commitment for Cisgender Female Partners of Transgender Individuals.

The current exploratory study investigates which variables predict commitment among cisgender women currently in a relationship with a transgender-identified partner. This study includes variables specific to gender diverse couples such as years in the relationship, amount of prior knowledge about transgender identity, and gender role beliefs. Also included are the general relationship factors of satisfaction, quality of alternatives, investment size, and the outcome variable of commitment, as described in the Investment Model of Commitment.

Patterns of Mental Health Care Utilization Among Sexual Orientation Minority Groups.

Prior studies of the utilization of mental health professionals by sexual minority populations have relied on data that are now dated or not nationally representative. These studies have also provided mixed findings regarding gender differences in the utilization of mental health professionals among sexual minority individuals. Using data from the 2013-2015 National Health Interview Surveys, this study investigates (1) how sexual minority individuals compare to heterosexual participants in their utilization of mental health professionals; and (2) gender differences in that utilization.

Sexual orientation microaggressions and the experience of sexual minorities.

This qualitative study sought to confirm and expand on previous research on sexual orientation microaggressions--subtle discrimination in the form of verbal, behavioral, and environmental slights and indignities as defined by Sue (2010). The study had two primary research questions: Does the data from the sample validate Sue's (2010) typology of sexual orientation microaggressions? Beyond Sue's (2010) typology, are other themes/types of sexual orientation microaggressions present in the data? Using a focus group methodology, data was collected from a sample of self-identified non-heterosexual college students (N=12). Data analysis confirmed five previously identified themes from Sue's (2010) typology (Endorsement of Heteronormative Culture, Sinfulness, Homophobia, Heterosexist Language/Terminology, and Oversexualization) and demonstrated two new themes (Undersexualization and Microaggressions as Humor).