Religious values, attitudes towards lesbians and gay men, and gender role beliefs among young adults

Abstract

The study aims to examine the relationship and impact of religious values, attitudes towards lesbians and gay men, and gender role beliefs among young adults. A quantitative approach was employed in this study, utilizing self-report inventories to gather data from 300 participants aged 18-25 years in Indian cities. The questionnaires used were the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), the Attitude towards Lesbian and Gay Men Scale (ATLG), and the Gender Role Beliefs Scale (GRBS). The results indicated that there was a positive correlation between religious values and attitudes towards lesbians and gay men, a negative correlation between religious values and gender role beliefs, and between attitudes towards the lesbian and the gay men and the gender role beliefs. The study also found that there was a gender difference in the distribution of attitudes towards lesbians and gay men and gender role beliefs between males and females but not towards religious values, and a difference in the distribution of attitudes towards lesbians and gay men and gender role beliefs based on education levels but no distribution towards religious values. The findings provide clinicians and mental health professionals with vital information with regards to the influence of religion and gender role beliefs which are important factors to consider when formulating intervention programs for lesbian or gay men.