Gender Role and Gender Role Conflict: Preliminary Considerations for Psychotherapy with Gay Men

Abstract

The current study examined the influence of gender role, gender role conflict, and their interaction in predicting psychological distress in gay men. Gender role was measured utilizing the Occupations, Activities, and Traits-Personal Measures (OAT-PM), gender role conflict was assessed via the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS), and psychological distress was measured using the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Participants were 71 self-identified gay males, collected from a large, Midwestern city. Results revealed that both femininity and gender role conflict were positively associated with general distress. However, a significant femininity by gender role conflict interaction was also found, suggesting that feminine gay men with high levels of conflict regarding their gender role are at an increased risk for general distress. Implications for clinicians working with gay men are discussed.