Poster exploring the relationship between forgiveness, coming out, and shame due to heterosexsim among gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals

Chng, Chwee-Lye

Goodman, Rachel

Vosvick, Mark A.

Willingham, Jordan

UNT Digital Library

/- Forgiveness: Moderating the Relationship Between Coming Out and Shame Due to HeterosexismRachel Goodman, Chwee-Lye Chng, PhD, Jordan Willingham, and Mark Vosvick PhDUniversity of North TexasIntroductionIndividuals who live openly as lesbian, gay and bisexual (Igb) may experience discrimination and be stigmatized, which may cause emotional distress (Szymanski, 2008). They quickly learn that homosexuality is a powerfully shameful condition that can lead to feelings of self-hatred that impact public health issues of suicide and substance use (Herek, 1991; Chow, 2010).Those with high levels of shame are more likely to postpone coming out or avoid coming out at all (Brown and Trevethan, 2010). Individuals who are more out typically report less stress, and fewer symptoms of depression or anxiety (Jordan and Deluty 1998; Lewis et al. 2001; Mohr and Fassinger 2003). Other studies linked greater outness with psychological well-being and improved quality of life (Halpin and Allen 2004; LaSala 2000; Monroe 2001; Savin-Williams 2001).Sexual identity development is highly stressful (Boon and Miller 1999; LaSala 2000) but may lead to growth- enhancement (Balsam 2003; Halpin and Allen 2004; Konik and Stewart 2004; Moradi et al. 2009; Riggle et al. 2008).Recently, researchers suggest that forgiveness (the process of letting go of anger and resentment) can decrease depression, anxiety and anger (Thompson, Snyder, Hoffman et al., 2005), and promote wellbeing (McCarthy, 2008).HypothesesHypothesis 1 -  Forgiveness has an inverse relationship with Shame Due to HeterosexismHypothesis 2 -  Coming Out has an inverse relationship with Shame Due to HeterosexismHypothesis 3 -  There is a positive relationship between Forgiveness and Coming OutHypothesis 4 -  Forgiveness moderates the relationship between Coming Out as an openly Igb person and Shame Due to HeterosexismHypothesis 5 -  Coming Out and Forgiveness account for a significant proportion of the variance in Shame Due to HeterosexismModelBased on the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping(Lazarus & Cohen, 1977)CopingMechanism:ForaivenessStressor: Comma OutOutcome:ShameMethodThe study involved 125 participants who completed a survey-based research project that examined psychosocialand behavioral factors associated with wellness and healthof Igb communities.After IRB approval, Project HEALTH recruited fromvarious Igb organizations within the Dallas/Fort-Worthmetropolitan area. Participants provided signed informedconsent and received a $25 incentive to complete surveys.MeasuresThe Heartland Forgiveness Scale(Thompson et al., 2005, a = .92 )•Measures forgiveness of oneself, other people and uncontrollable situations•18 item scale•7 point likert -type scale (1 = almost always false of me, 7 = almost always true of me)•Higher scores indicate greater levels of forgiveness•Concurrent validity was established•Example: “It’s really hard for me to accept myself once I’ve messed up.”Coming Out Questions(Demographic Measure)•Participants reported whether or not they considered themselves as being out about their sexual orientation by a simple Yes or No answer•Follow up questions were given to all participants to measure their degree of being out•1 = Out to No One, 10 = Out to EveryoneShame Due to Heterosexism Scale(Dickey-Chasins, 2001, a = .87)•Measures the level of shame lesbians and gay men experience from heterosexism•11 item scale•5 point likert-type scale (1 = Never, 5 = Always)•Higher scores indicate greater levels of shame•Good construct validity• Example: “I feel disappointed in myself for being gay/lesbian.”Demographicsn= 125Gender:FemaleOrientation ______ £LesbianGayBisexualMaleEthnicity: _Black or African-American European-American ^  ; Hispanic/Latino Asian or Asian-AmericanOtherIncome: _________Over 10K64 (51.2%)38 (30.4%) 50 (40.0%) 37 (29.6%) 11 (29.7%)15(12.0%) 83 (66.4%) 15 (12.0%) 5 (4.0%)7 (5.6%)78 (62.4%)Results■ wDiscussion*  jntmr™ y f  T SC, - W iM Fm hBPSL - ... J F ■™ „ < "51#  2r- r \MEvs1Univariate Statistics■ e F JB ' ' 1jjBivariate Statistics1. Age2. Gender3. European American4. Black or African American5. Hispanic/Latino6. Over 10K7. Bisexual8. Lesbian9. Gay10. Coming Out11. Forgiveness12. ShameK 8i  vtm ■ m  i n  k r iSmU DLH nLkl Bicfl Bfii.24 -.26-.08111' SHRIKE-' I I ^ Km  ESS ESISIME H  EK! 1^9  E 1 H■ f ia w E a B a T f iV J K H iw u B B iB s g B a aHypothesis 1 Supported- Forgiveness has an inverse relationship with Shame Due to HeterosexismHypothesis 2 Supported- Coming Out has an inverse relationship with Shame Due to HeterosexismHypothesis 3 Not Supported- No significant positive relationship exists between Forgiveness and Coming OutHypothesis 4 Supported- Forgiveness moderates the relationship between Coming Out as an openly Igb person and Shame Due to HeterosexismHypothesis 5 Supported- Coming Out and Forgiveness account for a significant proportion of the variance in Shame Due to HeterosexismOverall, our results suggest that Igb individuals who report higher levels of Forgiveness and Coming Out also report lower levels of Shame; however, Forgiveness is not correlated with Coming Out. Forgiveness is the moderator and when combined with Coming Out, the level of Shame Due to Heterosexism decreases.When adaptive coping skills, such as forgiveness, are not used during the coming out phase, shameful feelings about oneself may emerge. Therefore, the process of forgiveness may have promising implications for Igb who experience stress (McCarthy, 2010).Future ResearchFuture research should examine the fundamental reasons and other potential factors as to why an Igb individual chooses to come out. Also, investigation of specific forgiveness subscales (self, others, and situation) may lead to a better understanding of the relationship between Forgiveness and Shame.Future research should compare individuals’ levels of social support and loneliness with their forgiveness and shame in the coming out process. Furthermore, outcomes and coping mechanisms associated with Shame Due to Heterosexism and depression need further attention.M Bwarn#Hr*p<.05, ** p<.01Regression AnalysisB t Sig.1. Age2. Black or African American3. Hispanic/Latino4. Other5. Over 10K6. Coming Out7. ForgivenessHBHH.14-.03.02.01-.06-.49-.23fIH H1.63-.40.29.15-.67- 6.22-2.96Tolerance.81 j.92^ _____  i.87.93.81.90.91VIF1.231.09 1.14 1.071.231.111.10- f ^ ;-(adj. R2=.30, F (7,117) = 8.51, p<.001)LimitationsBias response may result from the use of self-reported data. These results lack generalizability due to the limited geographical region involved in the participant recruitment process. Due to our cross-sectional correlational design, we cannot infer causality from our results.Moderation Analysis AcknowledgmentsAge (Years)Income (Dollars)Mean (SO)31 (13)35,523 (50,583)Range18-730-390,0001. Coming Out2. Forgiveness3. Coming Out x Forgiveness -1.16(adj. R2=.32, F (8, 116) = 8.21, p<,001, R2 Chann e l )1.041.102.09Thanks to all participants and members of The Center for theircontribution to Project HEALTH. Also, I want to thank The Centermembers and faculty for their help with preparation of this poster.! ReferencesPlease refer to handoutCenter for Psychosocial Health Research UNIVERSITY 0 F  NORTH TEXAS"T v,♦

Forgiveness: Moderation the Relationship Between Coming Out and Shame Due to Heterosexism

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Forgiveness: Moderation the Relationship Between Coming Out and Shame Due to Heterosexism

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