Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2019, Counseling Psychology

Despite the considerable research on internalized heterosexism (IH) in general, much remains to be known about the phenomenology of and means to cope with IH in sexual minority women. Literature suggests that IH is associated with several poor mental health outcomes. Sexual minority women's experiences of IH have largely been understudied with respect to their male counter parts. The voices of sexual minority women with respect to IH have largely been absent from the literature and may prove to inform the current literature base and future efforts to address coping in the context of IH. The current study explored the lived experiences of sexual minority women (N= 6) related to IH including their experiences and meaning making related to encountering stigmatizing messages, the effects of stigma on their sense of self, and ability to cope with IH. These topics were explored and analyzed through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results are presented including five super-ordinate themes and 16 emergent themes and further discussed to inform deeper understanding of sexual minority women's experiences with IH, implications for future research, and considerations for clinical work and advocacy.

Committee: Charles Waehler Ph.D. (Advisor); Margo Gregor Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rikki Patton Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Queener Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ingrid Weigold Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Psychology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2019, Psychology

Bisexual women are at an elevated risk to experience sexual victimization compared to heterosexual and lesbian women. However, there is a dearth of research that examines bisexual women's experiences specifically in order to identify factors that contribute to this increased risk. The current study examined how bisexual women's unique experiences of sexual identity stigma might elevate their risk for verbal sexual coercion. Online survey data were collected from 350 self-identified bisexual women. The PROCESS macro was used to test moderation-mediation and mediation analyses. Results suggest that anti-bisexual experiences (coming from both heterosexual and lesbian/gay individuals) are associated with greater internalized heterosexism (internalizing of societal negative attitudes and stereotypes about one's sexual orientation identity), which in turn is associated with greater verbal sexual coercion severity. We did not find moderating effects of outness (the degree to which bisexual women disclose their sexual orientation identity), such that internalized heterosexism mediated the relation between anti-bisexual experiences and verbal sexual coercion regardless of bisexual women's levels of outness. Findings suggest that both enacted and internalized anti-bisexual stigma are associated with bisexual women's elevated risk for experiencing verbal sexual coercion. Implications for future sexual violence prevention efforts, clinical intervention, and future research will be discussed.

Committee: Terri Messman-Moore PhD (Advisor); Elise Clerkin PhD (Committee Member); Elizabeth Kiel PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2013, Counseling Psychology

Gay men experience, internalize, and expect more stigma than do their lesbian and bisexual men/women peers (Herek, 2009; Balsam & Mohr, 2007). Subsequently, it is important to investigate gay men's beliefs about themselves, such as the stereotypical assumption of gay men's inability to have or maintain romantic relationships (Meyer & Dean, 1998; Peplau, 1991). Using a combination of the minority stress model (specifically, experienced discrimination, stigma consciousness, internalized heterosexism and self-concealment) and self-efficacy theory, two path models were constructed to explore this association with the novel relationship constructs of relationship self-efficacy and optimism. The investigation improved past research by the measurement of the minority stress variables, the use of a sample of only gay men, and the use of social media data collection. To test these models, 522 participants were collected. Although both models were outright rejected, three surprising findings emerged. First, the self-efficacy mediation model was supported after a slight alteration to include a direct path from internalized heterosexism to relationship optimism. Secondly, a positive path emerged from experiences of discrimination to relationship self-efficacy. Thirdly, support was found for using an exploratory feminist model which included experiences of discrimination as antecedents to proximal stress processes of minority stress. The findings are discussed in terms of contributions to and future directions for the minority stress model and the inclusion of feminist theory in the exploration of gay men's concerns regarding relationships. Limitations, future directions, and contributions to the field of Counseling Psychology are discussed.

Committee: Linda Subich Dr. (Advisor); Suzette Speight Dr. (Committee Member); Dawn Johnson Dr. (Committee Member); Kuldhir Bhati Dr. (Committee Member); Robert Schwartz Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Counseling Psychology; Gender; Glbt Studies; Personal Relationships