Roger L. Worthington

Scale Development Research A Content Analysis and Recommendations for Best Practices

The authors conducted a content analysis on new scale development articles appearing in the Journal of Counseling Psychology during 10 years (1995 to 2004). The authors analyze and discuss characteristics of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures in these scale development studies with respect to sample characteristics, factorability, extraction methods, rotation methods, item deletion or retention, factor retention, and model fit indexes. The authors uncovered a variety of specific practices that were at variance with the current literature on factor analysis or structural equation modeling. They make recommendations for best practices in scale development research in counseling psychology using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Heterosexual Identity Development A Multidimensional Model of Individual and Social Identity

This article builds on earlier conceptual models of identity development to propose a model of heterosexual identity development. A review of the existing literature on majority and minority group identity development, heterosexuality, and other relevant foundational literature is provided as a rationale for the proposed model. Based on an analysis of the strengths and limitations of the existing literature, the authors propose a preliminary model of heterosexual identity development. The article concludes with implications for research, practice, training, and measurement in counseling psychology.

Multicultural counseling competencies research : A 20-year content analysis

The authors conducted a 20-year content analysis of the entire field of empirical research on the multicultural counseling competencies (D. W. Sue et al., 1982). They conducted an exhaustive search for empirical research articles using PSYCInfo, as well as complete reviews of the past 20 years of several journals (e.g., Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice). They identified 75 articles reporting findings based on 81 different samples. Findings include (a) descriptive data regarding the designs, methodologies, and sample characteristics of studies; (b) major topics and themes of the multicultural counseling competencies empirical research literature; and (c) leading contributors. A brief analysis of major findings and gaps in the literature is provided, and the authors make recommendations for further research.

The Vocational Development of Non-College-Bound Youth: Counseling Psychology and the School-to-Work Transition Movement

Due to inadequate preparation for employment and lack of assistance in making the transition to work, many youth struggle entering the labor market, are unemployed, or flounder in jobs without opportunities for advancement. The school-to-work transition movement, exemplified by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, is designed to address the career development needs of non-college-bound youth. However, despite the fact that counseling psychology has been intimately involved with career development since its inception, attempts to link counseling psychology and the school-to-work movement are almost nonexistent. Given that the school-to-work movement will directly affect the vocational outcomes of potentially 75% or more of youth, it is imperative that counseling psychologists begin to take an active role in the movement. This article attempts to provide an impetus for counseling psychologists to become involved in the school-to-work movement through theory building, research, training, and practice.

Color-Blind Racial Attitudes, Social Dominance Orientation, Racial- Ethnic Group Membership and College Students' Perceptions of Campus Climate

AbstractMethodParticipantsInstruments Assessment of Campus Climate for Underrepresented Groups (URG; Rankin, 2000)Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS; Neville et al., 2000)Social Dominance Orientation Scale (SDS; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) ProcedureResultsPreliminary AnalysesDiscussion Graphics Table 1Table 2Table 3Table 4 Abstract Racial-ethnic group membership, color-blind racial attitudes (i.e., unawareness of racialprivilege, institutional discrimination, and blatant racial issues), and social dominanceorientation were used to predict perceptions of campus climate in general and specifically forpeople of color among a sample of 144 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students ata predominately White university. Results indicate that after controlling for racial-ethnicminority status, perceptions of “general campus climate” (GCC) and “racial-ethnic campusclimate” (RECC) are predicted by color-blind racial attitudes. Post hoc analyses indicated that Provided by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library

Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH)

Four studies on the development and validation of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH) were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded 5 factors assessing internalized affirmativeness, civil rights attitudes, knowledge, religious conflict, and hate—indicating that heterosexual knowledge and attitudes regarding LGB individuals could be conceptualized as multidimensional and wide-ranging. The stability of the multidimensional factor structure of the LGB-KASH was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Testretest stability, internal consistency, and validity coefficients supported the use and continued development of the new instrument. Significant differences were found between heterosexual and LGB individuals on all 5 factors, especially internalized affirmativeness, knowledge, and religious conflict. Implications for theory and research on heterosexual knowledge and attitudes are discussed.

Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC).

Four studies were conducted on the development and validation of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC). Exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded a 22-item measure with 4 distinct factors assessing commitment, exploration, sexual orientation identity uncertainty, and synthesis/integration. Exploratory factor analysis findings support the argument that sexual identity is a broad, multidimensional construct and that the MoSIEC assesses the construct of sexual identity in a manner consistent with J. E. Marcias (1966) model of identity development. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the stability of the MoSIEC factor structure, providing evidence of construct validity. Test-retest stability, internal consistency, and validity coefficients supported the use and continued development of the MoSIEC. Significant differences in levels of exploration and sexual orientation identity uncertainty were found among different sexual orientation identity groups, establishing the criterion-related validity of the MoSIEC. Implications for further development and use of the MoSIEC are discussed.

The Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Affirmative Counseling Self-Efficacy Inventory (LGB-CSI): Development, Validation, and Training Implications.

Five studies on the development of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Affirmative Counseling Self-Efficacy Inventory (LGB-CSI) were conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of an initial pool of 64 items yielded 5 factors that assess counselor self-efficacy to perform lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) affirmative counseling behaviors (Application of Knowledge, Advocacy Skills, Self-Awareness, Relationship, and Assessment Skills). The LGB-CSI evidenced high internal consistency; however, low test-retest reliability was found over a 2-week period. Convergent validity was supported by correlations with measures of general counseling self-efficacy and attitudes toward LGB individuals. Discriminant validity was evidenced by an absence of relations between the LGB-CSI and measures of social desirability, self-deceptive positivity, and impression management. Construct validity was supported by findings indicating varying levels of self-efficacy commensurate with status in the field. Recommendations for training interventions are discussed.

Sexual Identity, Sexual Orientation, Religious Identity, and Change: Is it Possible to Depolarize the Debate?

Religious orientation provides one of many contexts for the development of individual and social sexual identity processes. In fact, religion and sexuality are inextricably intertwined for many people because virtually every religion regulates sexual behavior and dictates a specific set of values regarding human sexuality. Thus, sexual identity development is likely to vary depending on the moral convictions learned, adopted, and/or rejected by individuals regarding sexual orientations, values, needs, and behaviors. As a result, some same-sex attracted (SSA) individuals may experience intense internal conflicts between experiences of sexual attraction and their internalized sense of morality arising from religion. The major contribution to this issue of The Counseling Psychologist was intended to produce data and conceptual models to increase our understanding of SSA individuals who pursue sexual reorientation therapies and to aid in the development of supportive therapies, which are not designed to change the sexual orientations of participants but to help SSA individuals cope with potential conflicts between sexuality and religiosity. The contributors have provided a rich and complex set of findings and perspectives that provide convergent, high-quality information about the factors that prompt people to seek sexual reorientation, the range of outcomes associated with it, and alternative approaches to treatment. They are to be applauded for the scientific and conceptual rigor with which they have pursued these objectives and for the advances they offer our field in responding to the needs of a group of individuals who have been caught between combatants in a psychological, spiritual, and political battle over their minds, bodies, and souls—literally. I am honored to have this opportunity to comment on the work included in this major contribution and to provide an additional perspective on the wider dialogue and debate about sexual reorientation treatments. In this commentary, I will focus on (a) highlighting a set of conceptual problems inherent to

Theorizing Heterosexual Identity Development

Psychology has a long and sordid history of studying human nature from a perspective emphasizing socially constructed notions of deviance (Atkinson & Hackett, 1998; Atkinson, Morten, & Sue, 1998). Even as social justice scholars have established a focus on individual and social differences rather than social deviance, the emphasis has remained primarily onminority group members. Only relatively recently have scholars begun to attend to the importance of the functioning, behaviors, and experiences of majority group members.Withoutmodels ofmajority identity development (e.g.,males, heterosexuals, Whites), it is very difficult to examine the nature of privilege, one’s understanding of his or hermembership in an oppressive group, and the intersection of different aspects of identity (e.g., McIntosh, 1988; Neville, Worthington,&Spanierman, 2001). Outside of a handful ofmajority identity development models addressing race, racial attitudes, and racial consciousness (e.g., Helms, 1990, 1995; Rowe, Bennett, & Atkinson, 1994), little attention has been paid to the identity development of members of other majority groups. Furthermore, although there are a number of sexual identity models for lesbians and gaymen (e.g., Cass, 1979; Fassinger&Miller, 1996; McCarn & Fassinger, 1996; Troiden, 1988), very little attention has been given to the notion that heterosexual individuals undergo a form of majority identity development. For example, the existing literature has not effectively “addressed the question of how heterosexuals achieve a sexual identity, or questioned the stability or homogeneity of this identity, or indeed, asked whether most heterosexuals experience themselves as even having a sexual identity” (Eliason, 1995, p. 821). As a result, there exists a tremendous gap in the literature regarding (a) the development of heterosexual identities, (b) individual differences in heterosexual identity development, and (c) the implications of heterosexual identity for training, practice, and research in psychology.