More Graduates, Less Criminals? The Economic Impacts of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

Although an abundance of research indicates that private schooling can benefit individual children through higher test scores, the effects on society are less clear. We monetize and forecast the social impacts of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) in the United States. We use existing literature on the impacts of the MPCP on criminal activity and graduation rates. Between 2016 and 2035, students who use a voucher in the MPCP will generate additional economic benefits of $473 million associated with higher graduation rates, and$26 million associated with fewer felonies and misdemeanors, relative to their traditional public school peers

Young Bisexual People’s Experiences of Sexual Violence: A Mixed-Methods Study

Bisexual people are at an increased vulnerability for sexual victimization in comparison to heterosexual people, as well as gay and lesbian people. As the majority of first sexual violence experiences happen prior to age 25 for bisexual women, young bisexual people are particularly vulnerable. Despite consistent evidence of this health disparity, little is known about what factors might increase young bisexual people’s risk for sexual victimization, or how they access support post-victimization. The current study addresses this gap through a mixed-method investigation of young bisexual people’s experiences of sexual violence with a sample of 245 bisexual people age 18–25. Quantitative results indicate that bisexual stigma significantly predicts a greater likelihood of reporting an experience of sexual violence. Qualitative findings support that while not all participants felt bisexual stigma related to their experience of sexual violence, some felt negative bisexual stereotypes were substantial factors. Interview participants found connecting with other survivors, particularly LGBTQ + and bisexual survivors, to be beneficial. Some participants encountered barriers to accessing support, such as discrimination in schools. Sexual violence researchers should consider bisexual stigma as an important factor, and support services the potential positive impact of bisexual-specific survivor support

Differences in Rape Acknowledgement and Mental Health Outcomes across Transgender, Non-binary, and Cisgender Bisexual Youth

The purpose of this study was to document the rates of rape acknowledgment (labeling rape as rape rather than using a minimizing label) and the corresponding mental health correlates using the minority stress framework in a unique and vulnerable sample: racially diverse sexual and gender minority young adults. Participants were 245 young adults who identified their sexual orientation as under the bisexual umbrella. A total of 159 of these participants (65.2%) identified their gender identity as nonbinary. All participants completed a series of online questionnaires regarding their sexual victimization history, mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), and constructs relevant to minority stress theory (level of outness, internalized bisexual negativity, connection to LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning] community). Rape acknowledgment was significantly greater among gender nonbinary participants (79.9%) than among trans and cisgender male participants (17.9%). Lack of rape acknowledgment was associated with increased anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Outness was significantly associated with greater rape acknowledgment. Despite the highly increased vulnerability for sexual violence among sexual and gender minorities, very little is understood about the mechanisms of this increased vulnerability or their unique needs for recovery. The results of this study strongly suggest the importance of a minority stress framework for understanding this increased vulnerability and for designing sexual violence prevention and recovery interventions for sexual and gender minority populations

Social perception of bisexuality

M.A. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2011.Includes bibliographical references.Amidst the gain in public exposure and recognition of variability in people's sexualities, much of the western world still defines another's sexual orientation by who she or he is currently intimate with (Brekhus, 1996). This leads to what Yoshino (2000) defined as bisexual erasure, or the invisibility of the bisexual community. This paper investigates a form of bisexual erasure, Anderson's (2005) one-time rule of homosexuality--the concept that one homosexual experience erases all heterosexual behavior. This study was designed to see whether people would perceive a target who had a heterosexual dating history with a current same-sex interest as bisexual, or if the target would be perceived as being heterosexual or homosexual. The majority of participants categorized the targets as bisexual (76.8% overall), and the male target (who expressed some other-sex interest) was perceived as being significantly more homosexual and less heterosexual than was the female target

Experienceing bisexual identity : the effect of identity threat and identity verification on bisexual individuals

Ph.D. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2014.Includes bibliographical references.Bisexuality and bisexual identity are underrepresented within the realm of psychological research. For instance, when considering all of the journal articles published on the topic of same-sex experience, only 16% of those articles mention bisexuality in their title (Rosenthal, 2012). This underrepresentation of bisexuality within research appears even more disproportionate when one considers that reported rates of bisexuality are noticeably higher than reported rates of homosexuality, especially so among women under 30 (Diamond, 2008). This research was an attempt to remedy this disparity in knowledge, as well as to learn more about bisexual identity, identity uncertainty, and health and wellness outcomes associated with positive and negative identity experiences. Study One tested whether the construct of prototypicality from Self-Categorization Theory and Social Identity Theory applies to the social identity of bisexuality. I manipulated perception of bisexual prototypicality and measured how that affects positive and negative affect, individual and collective self-esteem, stress, and identity centrality and certainty. While the manipulation overall was not significant, there were marginally significant results that indicated participants in the high prototypicality condition had lower reports of self-esteem and identity certainty and centrality and higher reports of negative affect than their peers. Study Two investigated whether Identity Theory applies to bisexual identity, specifically whether identity verification results in positive affect and behaviors and identity threat results in negative affect and behaviors. Study Two was a longitudinal daily diary study that asked participants to record daily experiences of bisexual identity verification and identity threat, as well as positive and negative health behaviors. The results of the study did not support the hypothesis of negative and positive identity events influencing affect and behaviors, but initial reports of negative affect, self-esteem, and identity certainty were related to initial status and change in stress and anxiety

Introduction to the Special Issue: Queer and Trans People’s Experiences of Sexual Violence

We, the guest editors, have come to the topic of queer and trans experiences of sexual violence from different paths even though we started our careers in Psychology at the same institution (Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!). Dr. Anderson is, first and foremost, a violence researcher, and Flanders a queer and trans health researcher. However, we have come together to collaborate in the last few years in recognition of how little scholars in the fields of violence research (frequently named violence against women) and sexual and gender minority (SGM) health research collaborate despite the many intersections and overlapping work of the fields. These fields have a great deal in common - both are invested in improving the lives of people who are marginalized. Yet, we saw a need to foster greater space and dialogue for violence researchers and SGM health researchers in psychology and related disciplines regarding the stark sexual violence disparities SGM people experience. We see this special issue as constituting a way in which this dialogue can be continued, as well as serving as an important resource on SGM sexual violence for both researchers and clinicians

Differences in Rape Acknowledgement and Mental Health Outcomes across Transgender, Non-binary, and Cisgender Bisexual Youth

Objective: The purpose of this study was to document the rates of rape acknowledgment (labeling rape as rape rather than using a minimizing label), and the corresponding mental health correlates using the minority stress framework in a unique and vulnerable sample: racially diverse sexual and gender minority young adults. Method: Participants were 245 young adults who identified their sexual orientation as under the bisexual umbrella. A total of 159 of these participants (65.2%) identified their gender identity as non-binary. All participants completed a series of online questionnaires regarding their sexual victimization history, mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder: PTSD), and constructs relevant to minority stress theory (level of outness, internalized bisexual negativity, connection to LGBTQ community). Results: Rape acknowledgment was significantly greater among gender non-binary participants (79.9%) than among trans and cisgender male participants (17.9%). Lack of rape acknowledgment was associated with increased anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Outness was significantly associated with greater rape acknowledgment. Conclusions: In spite of the highly increased vulnerability for sexual violence among sexual and gender minorities, very little is understood about the mechanisms of this increased vulnerability nor their unique needs for recovery. The results of this study strongly suggest the importance of a minority stress framework for understanding this increased vulnerability and for designing sexual violence prevention and recovery interventions for sexual and gender minority populations