Jason D. Hans

Self-perceived origins of attitudes toward homosexuality.

Undergraduate students (N = 417) at a large southern university responded to open-ended questions designed to assess self-perceived origins of attitudes toward homosexuality and circumstances that may prompt a shift in attitudes. Inductively coded responses pointed to a positive correlation between attitudes toward homosexuality and experience interacting with gay men or lesbians; this is discussed in the context of Allports (1954) contact hypothesis and Hereks (1984, 1986) theory of functional attitudes. Implications are discussed for education and intervention efforts aimed at facilitating understanding and tolerance of gay men and lesbians.

Custody Evaluators’ Beliefs About Domestic Violence Allegations During Divorce: Feminist and Family Violence Perspectives

Approximately, 20% of divorcing couples in the United States require judicial intervention to reach a custody agreement. In such cases, courts often call on child custody evaluators to conduct comprehensive evaluations and recommend custody agreements and services that meet children’s best interests. Estimates suggest that allegations of domestic violence (DV) are raised and substantiated in about 75% of these cases. Custody evaluators are thus in a position to ensure that divorcing parents with DV receive effective services and enter into safe custody agreements. They are also in a position to minimize or deny the seriousness of DV and its relevance to custody decisions. The present study uses grounded theory methods to examine how custody evaluators’ theoretical perspectives on DV and beliefs about custody disputes in the context of DV are related to their evaluation process and recommendations.

Abstinence, Sex, and Virginity: Do They Mean What We Think They Mean?

Ambiguous definitions concerning which behaviors constitute sex, abstinence, and virginity may lead to arbitrary interpretations of meaning or miscommunication, which could be particularly problematic in health care, educational, and research contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare definitions of sex, abstinence, and virginity between samples of 454 university students and 126 AASECT-certified sexuality professionals. Compared to the AASECT professionals, students were less likely to classify 10 of 11 behaviors as sex, they were more likely to indicate that oral-genital contact maintains ones virginity, and they were more likely to indicate that oral-genital contact and hand-genital contact is consistent with abstinent behavior. Relative to previous studies, these findings also suggest that conceptualizations of abstinence and the classification of oral-genital contact may be changing among young adults. Overall, the primary implication of these findings is that sexual health professionals should be mindful of the interpretative latitude afforded to individuals when using terms intended to refer to a range of sexual behaviors rather than explicitly identifying the targeted behaviors.

From Fantasy to Reality: A Grounded Theory of Experiences in the Swinging Lifestyle.

Swinger couples—committed couples who consensually engage in extra-relational sex for recreational purposes—are difficult for researchers to access due to the social stigma associated with swinging. This study builds upon the limited research on swinger couples by examining personal experiences with swinging. Specifically, 32 semi-structured interviews with swingers (16 husband–wife dyads, interviewed separately) were analyzed using grounded theory methods to understand the process of transitioning into and maintaining marital satisfaction in the swinging lifestyle. The model formed included (a) antecedent steps taken to enter into the lifestyle, (b) types of desires fulfilled, (c) stated benefits of being in the lifestyle, and (d) rules that guided couples throughout the process. Although variations were found across couples, the effective use of verbal and non-verbal communication to increase sexual and marital satisfaction within these non-monogamous couples was paramount to their experiences.

Suicide Disclosure in Suicide Attempt Survivors: Does Family Reaction Moderate or Mediate Disclosure's Effect on Depression?

Existing literature has found a link between disclosure of a stigmatized identity and improved mental health; however, research on the impact of suicide disclosure to family members is scarce. Suicide attempt survivors (n = 74) in the United States were examined to assess whether family reaction moderates or mediates the relationship between suicide disclosure and subsequent depression symptoms. Family reaction did not moderate but did mediate the relationship between disclosure and depression symptoms while controlling for time since most recent attempt. Higher rates of disclosure predicted more positive family reactions, which in turn predicted less severe depression symptoms. Findings indicate that family members can play an essential role in the recovery process after an attempt occurs, which has important implications for both researchers and clinicians who seek to decrease stigma for attempt survivors while simultaneously decreasing the likelihood of future attempts.

Perceptions of Suicide Stigma.

BACKGROUND Previous research has failed to examine perceptions of stigma experienced by individuals with a history of suicidal behavior, and few studies have examined how stigma is experienced based on whether it was perceived from treatment providers or social network members. AIMS This study examined stigma experienced by individuals with previous suicidal behavior from both treatment providers and individuals in ones social and family networks. METHOD Individuals (n = 156) with a lifetime history of suicidal behavior were recruited through the American Association of Suicidology listserv. RESULTS Respondents reported the highest rates of perceived stigma with a close family member (57.1%) and emergency department personnel (56.6%). Results indicated that individuals with previous suicidal behavior were more likely to experience stigma from non-mental health providers and social network members than from mental health providers. A hierarchical regression model including both source and type of stigma accounted for more variance (R(2) = .14) in depression symptomology than a model (R(2) = .06) with only type of stigma. Prevalence of stigma perceived from social network members was the best predictor of depression symptom severity. CONCLUSION These findings highlight the need for future research on how social network members react to suicide disclosure and potential interventions for improving interactions following disclosure.

American Attitudes in Context: Posthumous Sperm Retrieval and Reproduction

Although still exceedingly uncommon, evidence suggests that the prevalence of posthumous sperm retrieval requests for reproductive purposes has increased in recent years within the United States. These requests raise complex issues that pose challenges for physicians, legal scholars, and bioethicists. This study is among the first to examine the general population’s attitudes toward posthumous sperm retrieval and, more generally, toward posthumous reproduction. Specifically, the effects of five contextual circumstances—marital status, parental status, wishes of the deceased’s parents, context of death, and the wishes of the deceased—on attitudes toward posthumous sperm retrieval for the purpose of cryopreservation and reproduction were examined using a multiple segment factorial vignette with a probability sample of 846 households in the United States. Marital status, disposition of the deceased’s parents, and the deceased’s wishes affected attitudes in predictable directions, parental status and cause of death had little bearing on attitudes, and respondent religiosity was negatively related to the perceived acceptability of posthumous sperm retrieval as well as medical professional’s obligation to perform the procedure.

Challenges Family Scholars May Face in Studying Family Diversity A Focus on Latino Families, Stepfamilies, and Reproductive Technology

American families have changed rapidly in the past few decades. For instance, U.S. families are more ethnically and racially diverse than ever before, family structures vary widely as a result of marital transitions and changes in cultural mores, and technological and social changes have altered the experience of parenthood. Family scholars often have found it difficult to adequately stay abreast of such transformations. There are many indications that changes will continue to occur in the next few decades, perhaps even more rapidly than before. In this article, the authors, as young family professionals, discuss what they see as current and future issues professionals face in studying and working with families. Latino families, stepfamilies, and reproductive technology are presented as examples in which diversity presents challenges.

Abortion attitudes in context: a multidimensional vignette approach.

The effects of relationship status, rationale for considering abortion (life circumstance versus health issue), and the male partners wishes on abortion attitudes were examined using a multiple-segment factorial vignette with a probability sample of 532 Kentucky households. Respondents expressed strong opinions in the absence of contextual details, yet many shifted the direction of their strongly-held positions once contextual information was revealed that challenged their initial assumptions. Results confirm and extend prior research by indicating that attitudes are strongly held but are simultaneously highly responsive to context. The validity of surveys and polls that attempt to measure global attitudes toward abortion, such as pro-choice versus pro-life, in the absence of contextual details is therefore questioned. The full context of ones life and situation is weighed in the abortion decision-making process, and our findings indicate that attitudes toward abortion are largely responsive and reflective of that context as well.

Attitudes toward Assisted Suicide: Does Family Context Matter?

Little is known about how family-related contextual variables impact attitudes toward assisted suicide. A probability sample (N = 272) responded to a multiple-segment factorial vignette designed to examine the effects of 6 variables—patient sex, age, type of illness, relationship status, parenthood status, and family support—on attitudes toward physician- and family-assisted suicide. Respondents were more likely to support physician-assisted suicide if they heard about an older patient or a patient experiencing physical pain than a younger patient or one suffering from depression, respectively. For family-assisted suicide, respondent support was higher when the patient had physical pain than depression, and when the patients spouse or friend was supportive of the wish to die than unsupportive. Attitudes about physician and family obligation to inform others were affected by type of illness, relationship status, family support, and respondent education and religiosity. The experience of pain, motivations for family involvement, confidentiality issues, and physicians’ biases concerning assisted suicide are discussed.