Self-disclosure Of Sexual Orientation Research Articles

Generalized Self-Disclosure Explains Variance in Outness Beyond Internalized Sexual Prejudice Among Young Adults.

Outness, or self-disclosure of sexual orientation, plays a key role in the sexual identity development of LGB individuals and is linked with mental health. Lower outness has been consistently linked with higher internalized sexual prejudice; however, no extant research has explored the relationship between generalized self-disclosure and outness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incremental validity of general self-disclosure to explain variance in outness beyond what is accounted for by internalized sexual prejudice among young adults (N = 387; 46 lesbians; 78 gay men; 49 bisexual men; 214 bisexual women). Self-disclosure explained additional variance in outness beyond internalized sexual prejudice. While outness is related to internalized sexual prejudice, general personality characteristics such as self-disclosure may also play a role in LGB individuals' disclosure of their sexual orientation. These findings suggest that while internalized sexual prejudice is still the primary driver of lower outness, lower general self-disclosure may also play an important role. Closeted individuals may be weighing the risks and benefits of disclosing their sexual orientation, as they would with any other personal information. For those struggling with self-disclosure of sexual orientation, clinicians should attend to internalized sexual prejudice while also noting an individual's comfort with general self-disclosure.

Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and its Predictors among HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men in a Contemporary African Setting.

Background:Sexual orientation disclosure has been reported to promote good peer support, improve psychological health, as well as access to STIs and HIV prevention services. Hence, this study sought to assess the level of disclosure sexual orientation and its predictors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Plateau state Nigeria.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study design conducted between October 2018 and December 2019 among 114 HIV-infected MSM through respondent driven sampling technique. Epi Info version 7 was used for the data analysis with adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) used as point and interval estimates on the logistic regression model and P < 0.05 considered statistically significant.Results:The mean age of the respondents was 26.0 ± 5.4 years with disclosure of sexual orientation to nonpartner being reported by 45 (39.5%). Positive family history of same sex practice was found to significantly predict self disclosure of sexual orientation (adjusted odds ratio: 3.30; 95% CI: 1.2356–8.8038; P = 0.017).Conclusions:This study has revealed a low level of disclosure of sexual orientation among HIV-positive MSM in Plateau state with a positive family history of same sex involvement as its predictor.

Should a Dramatherapist Disclose their Sexual Orientation to their Clients? Perhaps they should be Prepared To

This article discusses the proposition that a therapist should be prepared to ‘come out’ and disclose their sexual orientation to a client, irrespective of how they identify. This enquiry has been shaped by the author's experience as a newly qualified dramatherapist, as a lesbian and as a new author. In the absence of existing dramatherapy literature on the topic of Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) and Therapist Self-Disclosure of Sexual Orientation (TSDSO), research has been drawn from publications across psychological literature. The article particularly focuses on the use of verbal and, to a lesser extent, non-verbal TSDSO with lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) therapists and/or clients. ‘Analytical snapshots’ from the author's clinical experience, as a final-year dramatherapy trainee, and from the author's personal experience will be presented and considered to further the discussion around preparedness for self-disclosure. The article supports the view that a dramatherapist should be prepared to disclose their sexual orientation to a client if required; and that becoming prepared would require the use of personal therapy, training, clinical supervision and awareness of the therapeutic relationship, as well as awareness of supporting literature.

Becoming Seen, Becoming Known: Lesbian Women's Self-Disclosures of Sexual Orientation to Mental Health Service Providers

Self-disclosure of sexual orientation has been reported to be important to quality health care interactions for lesbians. Existing research literature is limited in that it does not address self-disclosure of sexual orientation within psychiatric and mental health settings generally and self-disclosure strategies specifically. This article describes how lesbians respond to the imperative to make decisions about, and negotiate, self-disclosure of sexual orientation over a period of extensive interactions with mental health service providers by describing three strategies for self-disclosure: (a) unprompted, explicit self-disclosure; (b) prompted, explicit self-disclosure; and (c) subtle, tentative self-disclosure.

Outness and relationship satisfaction in same‐gender couples

Self-disclosure of sexual orientation, or outness, is a fundamental feature of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) experience, yet little is known about how outness impacts same-gender relationship satisfaction. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews with 15 same-gender couples, the complexities of navigating a stigmatized identity in a homonegative society emerged, including (a) characteristics of outness, (b) the influence of coupling on an individual's outness, and (c) the impact of outness on same-gender relationship satisfaction. Findings suggest that for GLB persons, outness is a developmental skill, an expression of identity and values, as well as a resilience strategy for managing discrimination and gay-related stress that influences, though does not singularly determine, relationship satisfaction. Implications for clinical practice and future research suggestions are presented.

Counselor Self-Disclosure: Does Sexual Orientation Matter to Straight Clients?

The present investigation explores the impact of counselor self-disclosure of sexual orientation on self-identified heterosexuals. Two hundred and thirty-eight psychology undergraduate students read a short description of a counselor and one of eight versions of a counseling transcript. Transcripts were identical with the exception of the gender of the counselor and the inclusion of a single counselor statement, in which the counselor either disclosed his/her sexual orientation through a “feeling” subtype disclosure (Knox and Hill in Journal of Clinical Psychology: Special Issue: In Session: Self-Disclosure 59(5):529–539, 2003) or made a reflective statement. A total of 184 respondents who self-identified as “exclusively heterosexual,” and accurately completed four validation check items, rated the target counselor on Expertness, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness Subscales of the Counselor Rating Form-Short Version (CRF-S; Corrigan and Schmidt in Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30:64–75, 1983). A significant interaction effect was found between self-disclosure status and sexual orientation of the counselor. Participants perceived the disclosing gay and lesbian counselors as significantly more trustworthy than their nondisclosing gay and lesbian counterparts.

Self-Disclosure of Sexual Orientation in Social Work Field Education: Field Instructor and Lesbian and Gay Student Perspectives

ABSTRACT In-depth interviews were conducted with lesbian and gay recent MSW graduates (n = 6) and experienced field instructors (n = 8) to explore sexual orientation–related challenges in social work field education. Data were analyzed using techniques from grounded theory and NVivo qualitative software. Self-disclosure emerged as a central theme in the establishment of a positive learning environment for lesbian and gay students in field education, including the benefits of student self-disclosure to learning, the responsibility of the field instructor, and the role of the agency context. Schools of social work may benefit from training and sensitizing field instructors to develop competence in providing educational experiences for LGBT students.

The Intention and Reflection Model

Increasing attention has been given to therapist self-disclosure (TSD) in light of the gay therapist's sexual orientation. Gay male therapist self-disclosure of sexual orientation is a reflection of identity management for this population. This paper describes the Intention and Reflection Model (IRM) of gay male therapeutic identity management, which focuses on three central topical areas: identity creation, preparatory identity management, and relational identity management. It also provides two case examples (gay and straight client) of IRM application in clinical practice.

Self-acceptance and self-disclosure of sexual orientation in lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults: An attachment perspective.

A model linking attachment variables with self-acceptance and self-disclosure of sexual orientation was tested using data from 489 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults. The model included the following 4 domains of variables: (a) representations of childhood attachment experiences with parents, (b) perceptions of parental support for sexual orientation, (c) general working model of attachment, and (d) LGB variables. Results generally supported the proposed model. For example, attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with self-acceptance difficulties, and avoidance was associated with low levels of outness in everyday life. Parental attachment had an indirect effect on identity and outness through its associations with parental LGB support and general attachment. Some results varied depending on participants' gender and parental religious affiliation.

Being Out

Prior research on self-disclosure of sexual orientation has focused almost exclusively on the assessment of direct verbal self-declaration by gay men, lesbians and bisexual persons. The Behavioral Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (BDQ) was developed to assess behavioral language in the “being out” process. One hundred seventy-seven participants completed the BDQ, the Sexual Orientation Disclosure Scale (SODS; Shachar and Gilbert, 1983), and a modification of the SODS, entitled the Acceptance of Sexual Orientation Disclosure Scale (ASODS). Results indicated that the BDQ was comprised of six factors and the overall scale had excellent internal consistency. Pearson Product-Moment Correlations showed a significant and positive correlation between the BDQ and verbal disclosure as assessed by the SODS.