Amber L. Pope

Personal, Relational, and Contextual Resources and Relationship Satisfaction in Same-Sex Couples

Despite previous research findings that suggest that same-sex couples often experience unique stressors within their relationships, other findings indicate that same-sex couples demonstrate similar levels of relationship satisfaction as compared with heterosexual couples. The study described in this article was conducted to examine the extent to which various personal, relationship, and contextual resources may contribute to relationship satisfaction among individuals in same-sex couples. The findings indicated that individuals in same-sex couples may have more variability in the levels of support they receive from contextual resources. In addition, relationship resources were predictive of relationship satisfaction among the study participants, although personal and contextual resources did not contribute any unique variance to relationship satisfaction. The article concludes with implications for theory, practice, and research in couple and family counseling.

Moral commitment in intimate committed relationships: a conceptualization from cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex partners

The purpose of this study was to examine how a prominent framework of commitment, Johnson’s Tripartite Model, fits within the context of cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex partnerships to test the applicability of the model to diverse types of relationships. Specifically, this study sought to operationalize the dimension of moral commitment, or the extent to which one feels obligated to stay in a relationship, as this construct has yet to be developed in intimate relationships outside of the marital context. The results provide support for Johnson’s Tripartite Model and provide researchers and counselors with a conceptualization of moral commitment from partners in cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

Insecure Parental Attachment and Permissiveness Risk Factors for Unwanted Sex Among Emerging Adults

The research based on attachment has shown that patterns of relating with primary caregivers in childhood and adolescence influence a person into adulthood, especially with regard to interpersonal relationships, including sexual intimacy. This study utilized a measure of adult parental attachment style to determine whether the perception of one’s patterns of relating with parental figures in childhood and one’s sexual attitudes are associated with unwanted sexual experiences, ranging from consensual unwanted sex and verbal coercion to more severe forms of coercion, including substance-related and physical coercion. The sample included 488 male and female college students, primarily in the age range of emerging adulthood. Analysis involved canonical correlation, which showed that individuals with avoidant parental attachment styles reported more occurrences of unwanted sex, with gender differences moderating the types of unwanted sex experienced. Of the sexual attitudes, permissiveness emerged as the strongest indicator of unwanted sexual experiences, at times interacting with avoidant attachment. Gender was a moderating variable. The authors conclude with practical implications and suggestions for future research.

Charting the Course of Ally Development

Welcome to the special issue of the Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling titled “Charting the Course of Ally Development Across Counseling, Education, and Advocacy.” We are excited to share several important additions to the literature that celebrate and add knowledge to conceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQQI) allies. We are especially enthusiastic with how the authors of the following articles explicitly integrated the intersectionality of diversity (e.g., convergence of orientation, gender expression, race, ability, spirituality), as well as included specific ways to engage in third-order change in our communities. To introduce the special issue, we briefly review recent ally literature and efforts by the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) to further integrate allies into our membership, include ally development into our research agendas, as well as increase our frame of reference within the broader LGBTQQI community to include allies as important members. The term ally has received quite a bit of consideration recently in the counseling field as LGBTQQI issues have come to prominence. Yet, when compared with LGBTQQI research overall, allies have not received substantial attention and have struggled to be seen as equals within the larger LGBTQQI advocacy movement (DiStefano, Croteau, Anderson, KampaKokesch, & Bullard, 2000). With these considerations many questions have arisen, including “What is an ally? Why are allies important? How can I become an ally? How can we train, create awareness, and develop knowledge for prospective allies? How do we welcome heterosexual, cisgender, and

Expert site supervisors’ cognitions when working with counselor trainees

ABSTRACT We examined expert site supervisors’ supervision cognitions while preparing for, conducting, and evaluating their supervision sessions with master’s-level counseling students via concept mapping. Experts’ cognitions were summarized in four areas: Supervisory Relationship, Conceptualization of Supervision and Supervision Interventions, Administrative/Logistical Considerations of Supervision, and Assessment of Supervisees and Their Practice. We discuss results and offer implications for research, practice, and training.

Psychometric Properties of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale–Turkish (LGBIS-TR)

ABSTRACT The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale (LGBIS; Mohr & Kendra, 2011) in a Turkish sample. Three hundred and ten LGB individuals participated and completed the Turkish version of the LGBIS (LGBIS-TR) along with the Satisfaction with Life, Positive and Negative Affect, and Self-Compassion Scales. Confirmatory factor analysis results yielded a good-fit for eight subscales of the LGBIS-TR. We also obtained satisfactory criterion validity and internal consistency reliability. Based on this initial study, the LGBIS-TR appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument to gauge LGB individuals’ identity experiences in Turkey. We discuss the results along with previous findings and limitations of the study, and we provide implications for further research and practice.

Self-compassion matters: The relationships between perceived social support, self-compassion, and subjective well-being among LGB individuals in Turkey.

Research on the well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people has predominately focused on Western (-ized) societies where individualism, and not collectivism, is emphasized. In the present study, we utilized a mediator model via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships between self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), perceived social support (i.e., family, friends, and significant others), and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) in a sample of LGB-identified individuals living in Turkey, a traditionally collectivistic culture (Hofstede, 2001). A sample of 291 LGB individuals (67 lesbian, 128 gay, and 96 bisexual) completed an online survey including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale, and Self-kindness, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness subscales of the Self-Compassion Scale. The results of SEM for the hypothesized mediator model revealed that self-compassion mediated the relationships between perceived social support from family and significant others and subjective well-being, explaining the 77% of the variance in subjective well-being. Implications for the literature base on LGB well-being are discussed, with a focus on the cross-cultural applications.

Development of the Couples Resource Scales

Couples therapy has experienced a shift in therapeutic approaches from those that focus on dysfunction and deficits to postmodern approaches that emphasize clients’ strengths and skills. Additionally, researchers have found that resources, such as self-esteem and social support, serve to enhance couples’ relationships. One therapeutic approach that emphasizes strengths and resources is solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). The authors describe the development of a research-oriented instrument grounded in SFBT, the Couples Resource scales (CRS), which was based on an existing practitioner-oriented instrument, called the Couples Resource Map scales. The authors used an exploratory factor analysis on the CRS to create a revised version that shows utility for empirical research.