Title:
Lesbian and gay community and stigma of seeking mental health services: self-stigma and social stigma and determinants for seeking or avoiding therapy
Author:
Chelsea Howe
Thesis Advisor:
Deborah Haskins
Committee Member:
Beth A. Kotchick
Committee Member:
Adanna Johnson
Committee Member:
James Miracky
Committee Member:
Heather Lyons
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2012
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Stigma has long been associated with those who seek mental health services, as individuals who request help are often seen as “weak” or deficient of taking care of their own problems. Those who identify as sexual minorities, specifically gay or lesbian, also face stigmatization because their sexual preferences deviate from what may be considered “normative,” particularly in Western culture. This dissertation sought to determine the extent to which college-aged lesbian and gay youth experience stigma based on their sexual preference and how this stigma may also impact their desire to seek help from mental health professionals. In total, ten college-aged, European American participants (N=10) who identified as either lesbian or gay were included in this qualitative study based on interviews of participants’ subjective experiences. The results indicate that stigma exists when both identifying as lesbian or gay and while also seeking mental health services. However, participants shared how upbringing, environmental factors, and clinician attributes affect the internalized stigma based on sexuality and ways in which factors may influence the likelihood of seeking mental health services.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
Use and Reproduction:
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Identifier:
HoweC-12
