Tracy J. Cohn

Resilience Among Rural Lesbian Youth

Rural lesbian youth are encumbered with a number of obstacles in their development of a positive self-identify and self-worth. Youth may experience implied physical threats, abuse, and mental health concerns as they attempt to define themselves within a context that emphasizes the role of women as heterosexual caretakers of the community. A number of factors can serve to diminish or enhance the young rural lesbians ability to cope with barriers and obstacles that she may face, including having a supportive family network, a larger network of friends, supportive mentors and teachers, and access to gay–straight alliances. The intent of this article is to examine the challenges that rural lesbian youth face in developing a positive self-identity including tools to enhance resilience.

Affective Distress Among Adolescents Who Endorse Same-Sex Sexual Attraction: Urban versus Rural Differences and the Role of Protective Factors

The present study examined whether sexual minority adolescents in rural areas were significantly more distressed than their rural sexual majority peers. Additionally, the study examined the impact of level of school belonging, family belonging, and the presence of a mentoring relationship on affective distress for rural sexual minority adolescents and youth (N = 469). Findings indicated that rural adolescents who were sexual minorities reported higher levels of affective distress than their rural heterosexual counterparts. In examining rural sexual minorities alone, higher levels of school and family belonging were associated with lower levels of distress. A relationship was not found between level of distress and mentoring relationships. The importance of building networks of support for sexual minorities in rural areas is addressed.

The Adjustment to U.S. Rural College Campuses for Bisexual Students in Comparison to Gay and Lesbian Students: An Exploratory Study

Previous research suggests that sexual minority (lesbian, gay, and bisexual [LGB]) university students face unique challenges during the adjustment to college that their heterosexual peers do not. Furthermore, sexual minority students, and particularly those identifying as bisexual, at rural campuses in the United States may experience additional struggles because of their environment. The authors undertook this study in an attempt to understand the challenges facing LGB students as they transition to college life on rural campuses. A small, exploratory sample of 56 sexual minority participants attending rural colleges in the United States provided data on measures of college adjustment. Using content analysis of qualitative data and correlational analysis of quantitative data, the following themes emerged: challenges making new friends, difficulty with roommates, and when or whether to disclose sexual orientation. Comparisons between sexual minorities (bisexual to homosexual) were also conducted to explore the unique experiences of bisexual individuals.

A Comparison of Actual and Perceived Sexual Risk Among Older Adults

Sexual risk among older adults (OAs) is prevalent, though little is known about the accuracy of sexual risk perceptions. Thus, the aim was to determine the accuracy of sexual risk perceptions among OAs by examining concordance between self-reported sexual risk behaviors and perceived risk. Data on OAs aged 50 to 92 were collected via Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk. Frequency of sexual risk behaviors (past six months) were reported along with perceived risk, namely, sexually transmitted infection (STI) susceptibility. Accuracy categories (accurate, underestimated, overestimated) were established based on dis/concordance between risk levels (low, moderate, high) and perceived risk (not susceptible, somewhat susceptible, very susceptible). Approximately half of the sample reported engaging in vaginal (49%) and/or oral sex (43%) without a condom in the past six months. However, approximately two-thirds of the sample indicated they were “not susceptible” to STIs. No relationship was found between risk behaviors and risk perceptions, and approximately half (48.1%) of OAs in the sample underestimated their risk. Accuracy was found to decrease as sexual risk level increased, with 93.1% of high-risk OAs underestimating their risk. Several sexual risk behaviors are prevalent among OAs, particularly men. However, perception of risk is often inaccurate and warrants attention.

Examining aging sexual stigma attitudes among adults by gender, age, and generational status

Objectives: Stigma related to later life sexuality could produce detrimental effects for older adults, through individual concerns and limited sexual health care for older adults. Identifying groups at risk for aging sexual stigma will help to focus interventions to reduce it. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine cross-sectional trends in aging sexual stigma attitudes by age group, generational status, and gender. Method: An online survey was administered to a national sample of adults via a crowdsourcing tool, in order to examine aging sexual stigma across age groups, generational status, and gender (N = 962; 47.0% male, 52.5% female, and .5% other; mean age = 45 years). An aging sexual stigma index was formulated from the attitudinal items of the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale. Results: This sample reported moderately permissive attitudes toward aging sexuality, indicating a low level of aging sexual stigma. Though descriptive data showed trends of stigma attitudes increasing with age and later generations, there were no significant differences between age groups or generations in terms of aging sexual stigma beliefs. Men, regardless of age and/or generation, were found to espouse significantly higher stigmatic beliefs than women or those reporting ‘other’ gender. Conclusions: Aging sexual stigma beliefs may not be prevalent among the general population as cohorts become more sexually liberal over time, though men appear more susceptible to these beliefs. However, in order to more comprehensively assess aging sexual stigma, future research may benefit from measuring explicit and implicit aging sexual stigma beliefs.

Heterosexual Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Toward Bisexual Individuals: Does Geographic Area Make a Difference?

Members of sexual minority groups continue to face discrimination and harassment. Although researchers have examined the experiences of sexual minority groups generally, less research is available that focuses on the unique experiences of each group specifically. Research suggests that bisexual individuals face unique stressors in comparison to gay or lesbian peers. Attitudes and behaviors toward sexual minority groups vary depending on the geographic location of the sample, with rural areas holding the most negative views. However, no research is available that examines this topic as it concerns bisexuality specifically. In response to this gap, the following questions were examined: do the behaviors and attitudes of heterosexuals differ based on the participants geographic location during his or her upbringing (rural, urban, suburban), and do those reporting a rural hometown possess more negative attitudes toward bisexuals? Findings reflected differences between regions, with the most negative views associated with rural areas and the most positive associated with suburban areas.

Exploring Protective Factors Among College-Aged Bisexual Students in Rural Areas: An Exploratory Study

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals have increased vulnerability for a number of negative outcomes in comparison to heterosexual peers. Sexual minorities in rural areas have increased vulnerability beyond what is experienced by urban peers. Protective factors have been identified that may insulate individuals from vulnerabilities. Using a sample of 69 participants, an ANOVA was conducted to determine the relationship between identified protective factors and sexual orientation. Findings indicated that bisexual individuals were less likely to see social support as helpful in comparison to gay, lesbian, or heterosexual participants. A discussion of how the findings may impact the transition to college is provided.

Special issue: Rural lesbian life: narratives of community, commitment, and coping.

The casual observer of rural life may overlook the complexities and contradictions experienced by residents of rural and frontier areas. Typically, rural people are quite satisfied with their way of life, citing high community cohesion, perceived personal safety, and freedom from the frenzied pace of urban life. Yet, rural settings are troubled by contemporary social problems. Poverty and unemployment are pervasive, and the web of support many rural residents enjoy, comprised of family members (Blank, Fox, Hargrove, & Turner, 1995) and the church (Helbok, Marinelli, & Walls, 2006), may be disaffirming to sexual minorities. In an analysis of the experiences of gay men and women in rural communities, Moses and Buchner (1980) concluded that the rural narrative is religiously oriented, politically conservative, and bound to hetronormative standards. What are the effects on the rural lesbian who does not participate in the hetronormative discourse? How does she negotiate life in a rural setting when her narrative fails to dovetail neatly with the pervasive social narrative of her neighbors? How does she manage living in a place often described as a “fishbowl,” where her activities are inferred from the location of her vehicle? Rural lesbians may find they must chart a new course that creates space for a lesbian narrative. Negotiating a way of being is based on the stories we tell ourselves and the narrative we construct surrounding who we are, what we are, and what we do. The social construction of identity is a way to give meaning to our lives. The examination of identity in rural areas is relatively new. Bell and Valentine in 1995 commented that there was an obvious absence of “serious” study of the experience of gay men and women in the rural setting.

Counseling Psychology Model Training Program ψ

The counseling psychology Model Training Program (MTP) was written to reflect new developments in counseling psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the world. The updated MTP is aspirational, intended to guide the development and maintenance of counseling psychology programs. The MTP conforms to the American Psychological Association’s and the Society of Counseling Psychology’s standards and guidelines. A strategic task group appointed by 2015 Society president James W. Lichtenberg sought feedback from the field to assist in its formulation, and the executive boards of the Society and the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs approved the final version. The 2017 MTP consists of four core values (i.e., growth toward full potential, holistic and contextual, diversity and social justice, communitarian perspective) as well as 20 principles grouped into six clusters: counseling psychology identity; multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice; health service psychology; developmental, prevention, and strengths orientation; science–practice integration; and relationships within and between professional communities.

“At My Age … ”: Defining Sexual Wellness in Mid- and Later Life

Sexual wellness is integral to quality of life across the life span, despite ageist stereotypes suggesting sexual expression ends at midlife. However, conceptualizing sexual wellness in mid- and later life is complicated by a dysfunction-based narrative, lack of a sex-positive aging framework, and existing measures that are age irrelevant and limited in scope. This study aimed to address these limitations by providing a conceptualization of sexual wellness grounded in definitions from midlife and older adults. A sample of 373 midlife and older adults (M = 60, SD = 5.84) in the United States provided a definition of sexual wellness. Using thematic analysis, multiple researchers coded qualitative responses, and results suggested a biopsychosocial-cultural framework. Findings reflect that midlife and older adults provide multifaceted definitions inclusive of various behavioral experiences, including disengaging from sex. They are also keenly aware of physical and psychological limitations and strengths, and emphasize mutual experiences and synchronicity. Midlife and older adults also reflect on age, drawing comparisons to different phases of life and often displaying adaptability in adjusting expectations. When conceptualizing sexual wellness in this population it is imperative to capture this multidimensionality, include those who are not actively engaging in sex, and be aware of the influence of ageist and dys/function narratives.