Date of Award

1-1-2016

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology

Program

Counseling Psychology

Content Description

1 online resource (ii, 74 pages)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Jessica Martin

Committee Members

Frank Dillon

Keywords

alcohol, drinking, gay, homophobia, lgbt, sex, Internalized homophobia, Dialectical behavior therapy, Gays, Unsafe sex

Subject Categories

Counseling Psychology

Abstract

Compared to their heterosexual counterparts, gay men suffer from more mental health problems including substance use disorders and risky sexual behavior (Dew & Chaney, 2005; Gilman et al., 2001; Sandfort, de Graaf, Bijl, & Schnabel, 2001; Patton, Su, Nelson, & Weinstock, 2014). Meyer’s (2003) model of minority stress proposes that internalized homophobia leads to negative health outcomes. Meyer proposed coping acts as a moderator of the relation between internalized homophobia and mental health outcomes. The present study extended Meyer’s model by examining the potential moderating effect of a specific type of coping, Dialectical Behavior Therapy coping skills, on the relationships between internalized homophobia and risky sexual behavior and hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption among a sample of 305 gay and bisexual men. An interaction effect was found for internalized homophobia and DBT coping skills on risky sexual behavior. Main effects were not found for internalized homophobia and DBT coping skills on hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption or risky sexual behavior. Findings illustrate the importance of continued research to determine ways to prevent individuals with high rates of internalized homophobia from engaging in risky sexual behaviors and hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption.

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