The present study investigated personality and demographic variables of homophobic and non-homophobic individuals. Variables explored included the personality characteristics Neuroticism, Extroversion, and Openness to Experience. The following demographic variables were also explored: gender role beliefs, gender, and personal contact. Participants included 123 students from a large Western university, enrolled in introductory courses in psychology or sociology. Participants completed a questionnaire packet containing a demographic inquiry and three psychological measures-the NEO Personality Inventory, the Assessment of Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Results revealed the variable contact as the most critical predictor of homophobia, followed by gender, and the personality variable Openness to Experience. Furthermore, those who had not had previous contact with a homosexual individual and men were significantly more homophobic. No significant differences were found among gender roles in relation to self-reported indices of homophobia. The results provide attitudinal and behavioral differences that differentiate individuals who are intolerant of homosexuality from those that are more accepting of alternative lifestyles.

Behavioral activation (BA) has emerged as an effective intervention for major depressive disorder. Previous research has indicated that it is as effective as the full cognitive behavioral treatment package (CBT). Conceptualized to consume fewer participant sessions, BA may be more efficient and cost-effective than CBT. With depression among the most common diagnoses in practice settings, NIMH's recent vision statement calls for continued research devoted to cost-and time-effective targeted treatment alternatives, including "behavioral activation as a more simply behavioral form of CBT" (NIMH, 2005, p. 92). The present investigation piloted a 10week individual intervention model of BA with medicated and unmedicated participants in a clinical research setting. This follows our earlier report (Porter, Spates, & Smitham, 2004) of an efficacious group-administered BA intervention. In comparison to the group intervention, end state functioning of participants in the present investigation revealed more robust symptom reductions to within the fully recovered range of functioning.

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