LGBT Psychology and Mental Health: Emerging Research and Advances

297 Pages·2017·11.87 MB·English

by  Richard Ruth

LGBT Psychology and
Mental Health
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LGBT Psychology and
Mental Health
Emerging Research and
Advances
Richard Ruth and Erik Santacruz,
Editors
Practical and Applied Psychology
Judy Kuriansky, Series Editor
Copyright©2017byABC-CLIO,LLC
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Ruth,Richard,editor.|Santacruz,Erik,editor.
Title:LGBTpsychologyandmentalhealth:emergingresearchandadvances/RichardRuthand
ErikSantacruz,editors.
Description:SantaBarbara,California:Praeger,[2017]|Series:Practicalandapplied
psychology|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2017026566(print) | LCCN2017045823(ebook) | ISBN9781440843389
(ebook) | ISBN9781440843372(hardcopy:alk.paper)
Subjects:LCSH:Sexualminorities—Mentalhealth. | Sexualminorities—Psychology.
Classification:LCCRC451.4.G39(ebook) | LCCRC451.4.G39L482017(print) |
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Contents
SeriesForeword vii
JudyKuriansky
1 Introduction:WhyThisBookandWhatYouCanExpect 1
RichardRuthandErikSantacruz
2 NewDevelopmentsinLGBTDevelopment:What’sNewand
What’s(Still)True 15
StephenL.Forssell
3 MakingPsychologyTrans-InclusiveandTrans-Affirmative:
RecommendationsforResearchandPractice 47
RiddhiSandilandShaneHenise
4 HowContemporaryPsychoanalysisContributestoLGBTPsychology:
ExaminingandAddressingGenderFluidityandDiversityasWe
Slidetoward21st-CenturyTransformations 69
SharaSand
5 LGBTPsychologyandEthnicMinorityPerspectives:Intersectionality 87
BarbaraC.WallaceandErikSantacruz
6 IntersectionalFeminismandLGBTIQQA+Psychology:
UnderstandingOurPresentbyExploringOurPast 109
DeannaN.CorandChristianD.Chan
7 CaughtattheIntersections:MicroaggressionstowardLesbian,Gay,
Bisexual,Transgender,andQueerPeopleofColor 133
KevinL.Nadal,TanyaErazo,JuliaSchulman,HeatherHan,and
TamaraDeutsch
8 AddictionsandSubstanceAbuseintheLGBTCommunity:
NewApproaches 153
BarbaraC.WallaceandErikSantacruz
vi Contents
9 HealthDisparitiesandLGBTPopulations 177
BarbaraC.WallaceandErikSantacruz
10 ChallengesinMovingtowardtheResolution,Reduction,and
EliminationofHealthDisparitiesforLGBTPopulations 197
BarbaraC.WallaceandErikSantacruz
11 LGBTHealthandLGBTPsychology:EmergingPolicyIssues 217
RonaldL.Schlittler,MelissaJ.Grey,andTimothyPopanz
12 QualityandEquality:AnInterdisciplinaryGraduateProgramto
DevelopAgentsofChangeinLGBTHealth 237
StephenL.Forssell,NathanielSwift-Erslev,ColinJ.Davis,Richard
Ruth,AlyssaN.Zucker,SharonJ.Glezen,MerleCunningham,
BlaineParrish,CarlG.StreedJr.,andRonaldL.Schlittler
13 GoingForward:SummaryandNewDirections 259
RichardRuthandErikSantacruz
AbouttheEditors 267
AbouttheContributors 269
AboutthePracticalandAppliedPsychologySeriesandSeriesEditor 273
Index 275
Series Foreword
WhenIfirstmetthecoeditorofthisbook,ErikSantacruz,hewasmystudentina
graduateclassin“HumanIntimacyandSexuality”atTeachersCollege,Columbia
University.Whenheexplainedhisclassprojectabout“barebacking”—unprotected
sexriskingHIV/AIDSthatwasstillpersisting—Iimmediatelythoughtthatthis
paperneededtobepublishedandinanewbookpresentingmanycurrentissues
intheLGBTfield.Iencouragedhimcontinuallytodothis,andnowIamthrilled
andproudthatheteamedwithanotherofhisgraduateprofessors,RichardRuth,to
doso.Togethertheyhavecollectedchaptercontributorswithvariedandinterest-
ingviewsthataddrichnesstoprofessionalandpersonalperspectivesinthefield.
Mycommitmenttohighlightingnewdevelopmentsinthisfieldstemsback
decades,when,asayoungresearcherindepressionandschizophrenia,myteam
atColumbiaPsychiatricInstitutefirstbecameinvolvedinthesexualityfieldat
therequestofMastersandJohnson(“thegrandparentsofsextherapy”)toevalu-
atetheirtreatment.Thatledtomybeinginvitedontheteamdefiningthesex-
uality criteria in the American Psychiatric Association’s then-Diagnostic and
StatisticalManual’sthirdedition,miredindebatesabouthomosexualityasadis-
easeandnow,decadeslater,freedfrompathologicalmodels.Alsointhoseearly
days—waybeforeCaitlynJenner’sever-so-publicgendertransition—Iwasasked
by a surgeon performing sex-reassignment surgery to evaluate patients’ emo-
tionalstability(wheninfactseveralcandidatesweretooatriskformajordepres-
sion) and subsequently developed holistic treatment plans, as my and others’
research and clinical practice evolved into new approaches to identity and
behavior.
Asa journalist,Ihavewatched thepublicevolve.MadonnakissedBritney
SpearsonMTV,andKatyPerrysang“IKissedaGirl.”Now,theModernFamily
TVshowhaspopulargaycharacters.Astudentatmyalmamater,SmithCol-
lege,insistedon beingcalled“It.”Aftersomanydistresscallsoverdecadesto
my radio talk show, youth questioning their choice of partners welcomed the
chapter in my Generation Sex book, “Guys Who Like Guys Who Like Girls
WhoDoGirlsWhoDoGuysLikeThey’reGirls...,”whichaddressedbehavior
viii Series Foreword
now considered normal.And atthetalkback Idid after aplay,LastSunday in
June,audiencesnoticedthatgayrelationshipsfacesimilarjealousiesanddevo-
tionsasheterosexualones.
Thisbookisimportanttosomanypublicandprofessionalgroups,asthechap-
ters present new perspectives and models about the LGBT community, espe-
cially important today in our political and social media climate. Chapter
contributorsintroduceustomanytermssomemayfindneworunfamiliar,such
as“sexualnonconformity,” “cisgender,” and “intersectionality” (an important
termrelatedtodiversity)and evenLGBTIQQA+—anacronymIhavetaught
in my classes. As the authors themselves conclude, that there is still so much
moretoexplore,Iwonderwhatletterscanbeaddedtothatacronym,asmore
insightscometolightinthisimportantfield.
JudyKuriansky,PhD
SeriesEditor,PracticalandAppliedPsychology
1
Introduction: Why This Book
and What You Can Expect
Richard Ruth and Erik Santacruz
WHYTHISBOOK?
LGBTpsychologyaffirmsthatcomingoutisalifelongprocess,butonewith
key inflection points (Gonsiorek & Rudolph, 1991; Reynolds & Hanjorgiris,
2000; Rivers & Gordon, 2010). The same can be said for LGBT psychology
and LGBT mental health more broadly. It is now more than 50 years since
Hooker’sseminalresearchaffirmedthatgaynessandlesbianismarepsychologi-
callyhealthy(Hooker,1993);someofourfoundingthinkersandpioneerclini-
cians are no longer with us (Isay, 1997, 2010). Our grounding texts include
severalnowinextensivelyrevisedversions(Bieschke,Perez,&DeBord,2007;
Clarke,Ellis,Peel,&Riggs,2010;Garnets&Kimmel,2003;Greene&Croom,
2000),andnewcollectionsofgroundbreakingtheoryandscienceemergeregu-
larly (Glassgold & Drescher, 2014; Lewis & Marshall, 2011; Patterson &
D’Augelli,2012;Singh&dickey,2016).AJanuary31, 2016,GoogleScholar
searchforpublicationsonLGBTpsychologyyieldedmorethan744,000results,
a number that will certainly grow by the time you read this. The American
Psychological Association (APA) now has guidelines for LGB and trans and
gender-nonconforming practice (American Psychological Association, 2011,
2015)thatrepresentthecollectivevalues,will,andvisionoftheprofession.
SoitseemsfairtoagreethatLGBTpsychology“cameout”longagoandhas
become a vibrant, diverse field in its own right. But that development brings
withitchallengesofitsown.
DefinitionalChallenges
Our field does not have consensual, operationalized definitions of who les-
bian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people are. We
know,fromworkthatbuildsonKinsey’searlyresearch,thatsexualorientation
lies on a spectrum, likely with more lying in the middle than at either end