Psychosocial Correlates of Religious Approaches to Same-Sex Attraction: A Mormon Perspective

Dehlin, John P.; Galliher, Renee Vickerman; Bradshaw, William S.; Crowell, Katherine A.

doi:10.1080/19359705.2014.912970

Cited by 53 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Sexual orientation change efforts may be indicative of more deeply rooted beliefs about the nature of same-sex attractions, particularly the beliefs that same-sex attractions derive from environmental factors (Morandini et al, 2015) and that other-sex attractions should be developed or expressed. As such, the degree to which sexual minorities believe their attractions are environmentally (as opposed to biologically) determined may be associated with their overall well-being (Dehlin, Galliher, Bradshaw, & Crowell, 2014) because it could lead them to be less likely to engage in unproductive change efforts.…”

Section: Sexuality and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies suggest that religious affiliation and practice may provide positive mental health benefits to sexual minority Mormons (Crowell, Galliher, Dehlin, & Bradshaw, 2015;Lefevor, Beckstead, et al, 2019), which may stem from the sense of community that sexual minorities may derive from a religious identity (Lefevor, Sorrell, et al, 2019). However, other studies have found religious affiliation and participation to be related to increased depression (Dehlin et al, 2014) and psychological distress (Wolff et al, 2016) among sexual minority Mormons.…”

Section: Religiousness and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, remaining religiously engaged and adhering to church teachings that inculcate shame around sexuality may cause sexual minority Mormons to develop a stronger sense of internalized homonegativity than those who disengage or reject shame-based beliefs of sexuality. Indeed, sexual minority Mormons who remain active members of the LDS church evidence more internalized homonegativity (Dehlin et al, 2014) and psychological distress (Crowell et al, 2015).…”

Section: Minority Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The role of religiousness and beliefs about sexuality in well-being among sexual minority mormons.

Lefevor¹,

Blaber²,

Huffman³

et al. 2020

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

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Sexual minorities raised in conservative religions often experience conflict between their sexual and religious identities that affects their well-being. Minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) and cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) offer different explanations for when, why, and how this conflict may affect well-being. Using an intersectional lens (Crenshaw, 1989), we examined how religiousness and beliefs about sexuality relate to well-being among 1,128 lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer (LGBQ) and same-sex attracted (SSA) Mormons and former Mormons recruited from both politically conservative and liberal circles to explore the competing explanations offered by these theories. Supporting cognitive dissonance theory, we found that confused religious views and sporadic church attendance were negatively related to well-being and that individuals with moderate religious viewpoints and either frequent or no church attendance reported more well-being. Feeling resolved about conflicts between religion and sexuality was also positively related to well-being. Supporting minority stress theory, we found that authentic expression of sexuality, openness about experiences of same-sex attraction, and feeling positive about being LGBQ/SSA were positively related to well-being. We did not find a relationship between beliefs about the etiology of same-sex attraction and well-being. These findings further nuance literature guided by minority stress theory that has found a negative association between religiousness and well-being among sexual minorities. We encourage future research to examine cognitive dissonance between religious/sexual identities as a moderating variable when examining the effects of religiousness on well-being among sexual minorities.

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Section: Sexuality and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Religiousness and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minority Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The role of religiousness and beliefs about sexuality in well-being among sexual minority mormons.

Lefevor¹,

Blaber²,

Huffman³

et al. 2020

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They also evidenced relatively little expectation for fluidity and held erotic desire to be important. Given this profile, engaging in an SSR may be ego syntonic and satisfying (Dehlin et al, 2014).…”

Section: Same-sex Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domains related to four single/relationship options among sexual minorities raised conservatively religious.

Lefevor

Schow

Beckstead³

et al. 2021

Spirituality in Clinical Practice

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Sexual minorities raised conservatively religious often make relationship decisions in a context of conflicting needs and expectations. We examined group differences in a sample of 452 sexual minorities who were equally satisfied in 1 of 4 single/relationship options to promote self-determination and to understand how each group might differ from the others. Single and celibate individuals more often reported homonegative beliefs, religiousness, sex negativity, and conservative values. Single but not celibate individuals more often reported a stronger sex drive, sex positivity, homopositive beliefs, nonreligiousness, and liberal values. Those in mixed-orientation relationships more often reported a bisexual orientation, homonegative beliefs, children being important, fears of disappointing family, religiousness, and conservative values. Those in same-sex relationships more often reported strong same-sex orientation, sex positivity, homopositive beliefs, nonreligiousness, and liberal values. These findings indicate characteristics of individuals satisfied in each option that may provide a needed reference group for therapists to help clients explore selfdetermination in making life decisions.

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“…Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) has been famously reluctant to affirm gay and lesbian relationships (Dehlin et al, 2015;Johns & Hanna, 2011). A large study of 1,612 same-sex attracted members of the LDS Church found many negative outcomes -including depression, internalized homophobia, poor quality of life, failed conversion therapy attempts, and divorceassociated with anti-LGB beliefs and practices common to the modern LDS Church (Bradshaw et al, 2015;Crowell et al, 2014;Dehlin et al, 2014;Dehlin et al, 2015).…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Normal Gay Fathermentioning

confidence: 99%

In Visible Families: Gay Fatherhood and the Politics of Family Change

Carroll¹

2019

Preprint

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Who counts as a gay father? The answer to this question reaches beyond demographics, encompassing histories of family inequality, LGBTQ identity, and social movements. Presentations of gay fathers in the media and scholarship are often skewed toward white, middle-class, coupled men who became parents via adoption or surrogacy. Yet the demographic majority of gay parents continue to have children in heterosexual unions. My dissertation research uses ethnographic and interview data to argue that contemporary narratives of gay fatherhood have prematurely dismissed gay parents who have children in heterosexual unions. The choice to exclude gay fathers via heterosexual unions can be attributed to emerging narratives of LGBTQ identity and political strategies of the marriage equality movement. The consequences of gay fathers’ disproportionate visibility have led to a stratified system of access to gay parenting resources. By identifying the mechanisms that undermine gay fathers’ diversity in the public imagination and in gay parenting community settings, my dissertation amplifies the voices of marginalized gay fathers and offers an intersectional approach to the study of LGBTQ families through a social movements framework.

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Psychosocial Correlates of Religious Approaches to Same-Sex Attraction: A Mormon Perspective

Cited by 53 publications

References 65 publications

The role of religiousness and beliefs about sexuality in well-being among sexual minority mormons.

The role of religiousness and beliefs about sexuality in well-being among sexual minority mormons.

Domains related to four single/relationship options among sexual minorities raised conservatively religious.

In Visible Families: Gay Fatherhood and the Politics of Family Change

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