Eric Swank

Attitudes Toward Gays and Lesbians Among Undergraduate Social Work Students

This article identifies the factors behind students’ attitudes toward lesbian and gay individuals on the basis of the responses of 575 heterosexual undergraduates from 12 social work programs in the United States. Consistent with attribution theory, the findings suggest that the belief that sexual orientation is a choice is the strongest predictor of responses to gays and lesbians. The precepts of social learning theory and the intergroup contact hypothesis were also substantiated because sexual prejudice was lower among students with ‘‘gay-friendly’’ parents and numerous interactions with homosexual peers. Finally, negative interpretations of gay men and lesbians were higher for students who embraced authoritarian orientations and traditional gender-role beliefs and attended religious services more frequently. Implications for educators in the university environment and the classroom are presented.

EXPLAINING COMFORT WITH HOMOSEXUALITY AMONG SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS: THE IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC, CONTEXTUAL, AND ATTITUDINAL FACTORS

While recent research explores the determinants of homophobia among college students, only a few studies look at the perceptions of homosexuals among social work students. Unfortunately these rare studies generally present a modest list of predictor variables or small sample sizes. To address this gap, this research explores the ways in which undergraduate social work students (N=748) from 12 colleges feel about homosexuality. In doing so, the work initially delineates the extent to which future social workers feel comfortable being around gay and lesbian persons. The work then explores the impact of specific social statuses, educational processes, and ideological beliefs. In the end, the role of homosexual peers is emphasized, as are the effects of familial attitudes, the perceived cause of homosexuality, conservative religious maxims, traditional gender role beliefs, and anxieties over AIDS.

Rural location and exposure to minority stress among sexual minorities in the United States

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of studies on minority stress among sexual minorities. Few of these studies have explored the ways in which regional or spatial factors influenced the amount of minority stress that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals (LGBs) endure. To see if living in rural and small towns creates stressful social environments for LGBs in the United States, this study analysed the associations between location and three distal minority stress outcomes, as well as feelings of connectedness to the LGB community. In a sample of self-identified LGBs (N = 285), this study found that rural contexts and small towns often presented harsher social climates for sexual minorities compared with urban locales. LGBs who resided in rural areas tended to feel less connected to LGB communities and experienced higher levels of felt stigma and enacted discrimination. Small town inhabitants displayed some similar patterns, but also reported lower levels of enacted discrimination than expected. Living in Southern states subjected LGBs to more discrimination and less satisfactory connections to LGB communities.

Social Identities as Predictors of Women’s Sexual Satisfaction and Sexual Activity

While much research has examined sexual problems and dysfunction, far less research has examined intersections between sexual satisfaction and sexual activity, particularly as it relates to social identities. This study utilized secondary analysis of 1,473 women from the National Health and Social Life Survey to examine the way sexual satisfaction and sexual activity are at times misaligned. Using factor and cluster analyses, four groups of women defined by being high or low on satisfaction and activity were predicted by nine demographic variables, including socioeconomic class, racial/ethnic identity, age, marital status, education, sexual identity, geographical “coming of age” location, employment status, and number of children. Results showed that lower status women (women of color, working-class women, younger women, less educated women, women who worked full-time) reported low satisfaction and high activity. Women who reported high satisfaction and low activity represented the largest cluster of women, indicating that more women reported a disjuncture between satisfaction and activity than did those reporting a match between satisfaction and activity. Implications for clinical, sexuality, and social identity literatures are discussed.

Predictors of Heterosexual College Students' Attitudes Toward LGBT People

This study identifies the predictors of U.S. heterosexual undergraduate and graduate college students’ attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a group rather than toward individual identities. Findings suggest that affirming LGBT attitudes are most strongly associated with liberal political ideology and whether one believes in biological causation of transgender identity. Understanding sexual orientation as biological and having LGB friends, LGB immediate family members, and transgender friends are also important, but to a lesser degree. Age, gender, and select races/ethnicities and select religious affiliations are marginally associated with LGBT attitudes. These findings clarify areas to target for improvement in campus climate for LGBT persons, and implications for campus programs and research are discussed.

Predicting the Support of Same-Sex Relationship Rights Among Social Work Students

Since the 1980s, the United States has seen several instances of legislative action on the topic of same-sex marriages and civil unions. As some studies explored public reactions to such laws, the perspectives of social workers and social work students have mostly been ignored. In addressing part of this oversight, this paper looks at the approval of same-sex relationship rights among 571 heterosexual social work students enrolled in 12 U.S. colleges. In having an explanatory scope, the article focuses a multivariate analysis of potential antecedents to these policy preferences. Consistent with attribution theory, the strongest associations were located in the belief that sexual orientations are voluntary. In addition, students who were surrounded by homophobic parents and peers, or had little contact with gays or lesbians, were against the expansion of broader gay and lesbian relationship rights. Conversely, individuals who ignored traditional gender roles and authoritarian principles, as well as did not attend regular religious services, were more amiable to extending the relationship rights of sexual minorities.

Predictors of Political Activism among Social Work Students.

This article identifies factors inspiring greater political participation among undergraduate social work students (N=125). When separating students into self-identified liberals and conservatives, the study uses resource, mobilizing, and framing variables to explain greater levels of activism. After several multivariate regressions, this article concludes that political activism is spurred by many motivators. For liberals and conservatives, belonging to an activist network and maintaining activist identities were crucial to different modes of activism. Moreover, the perceived legitimacy of traditional institutions predicted protest actions of liberals and conservatives, whereas notions of collective efficacy influenced only electoral activism. Finally, demographic status mattered only for conservative students, as female and African American conservatives were less likely to protest than male and Euro American conservatives.

THE ACCEPTANCE OF A MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION AMONG APPALACHIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS

This study explores the multicultural predispositions of 437 students in a Central Appalachian university. After selecting students from a wide range of majors, this article shows which sort of multicultural programs garner weaker and stronger support in this undergraduate population. Following this descriptive elaboration, a set of OLS regressions tests a wide range of competing explanatory prepositions. Some of the explanatory models draw from familiar demographic and university-effect variables. However, this article expands on the education literature by drawing from some sociological, psychological and political science studies of American reactions to other multicultural programs (i.e., Affirmative Action, school desegregation, and welfare reform). By adding the variables on symbolic racism, authoritarianism and beliefs in American meritocracy, the final mix of 21 independent variables produces a somewhat robust model. Moreover, this analysis also identifies which educational practices seem to encourage a greater appreciation of a multicultural learning process. Finally, we address issues of generalizing to a national population by comparing our findings to case studies of multicultural education at other universities.

Comfort with Gays and Lesbians after a Class Discussion on Homophobia

ABSTRACT As some educators try to eradicate homophobia among their students, the literature on how classroom interventions lessen homophobia has netted inconsistent results. Most studies have found modest curriculum effects, while some have not. In addressing these inconsistencies, this study investigates the way some mitigating factors may either augment or dampen a students response to class discussions. After collecting data on 748 students from 12 colleges, it appears that student comfort with gays and lesbians was influenced by the class itself and a mixture of other factors. Some of these crucial factors were peer and familial attitudes as well as the perceived cause of homosexuality, embracing conservative religious maxims, and endorsing traditional gender roles.

Predictors of Feminist Activism among Social Work Students in the United States

While social workers advocate against domestic violence, sexual harassment, and restrictive reproductive practices, there have been virtually no studies on the reasons behind their feminist activism. To address this oversight, this study documented the extent of feminist activism among American undergraduate social work students (n = 159). When moving to explanatory analysis, our data suggest that feminist activism was related to greater educational attainment, knowing activist peers, recognizing heterosexism, and internalizing a commitment to social justice. Moreover, electoral activism was tied to the rejection of traditional gender norms in the family and perceptions of social movement tactics were crucial to protesting for womens rights.