Search

This chapter examines how the historically time-altered trajectory of HIV/AIDS in the United States has influenced the lives of persons living with HIV (PLH) and their midlife and older female caregivers. Our theoretical model integrates the concepts of linked lives, stress proliferation, and future uncertainty. We report on a study of 135 PLH and their caregiving wives or mothers. We find that, net of other stress covariates, future uncertainty is positively associated with depressive symptoms among PLH but not among caregivers. We identify “cross-person” effects in that the caregiver’s perceptions of future uncertainty are positively associated with PLH depressive symptoms.

This research tested predictions about the association of identity support and identity devaluation with psychological well-being (self-esteem, life satisfaction, and depression). Lesbian women completed baseline surveys (N=42), then provided daily experience reports during a 2-week period (n=38), and completed a 2-month follow-up survey (n=34). Several types of evidence consistently demonstrated the importance of identity support for well-being. Lesbians who reported more identity support scored higher on measures of well-being at initial assessment, during the daily phase of the study, and at the follow-up. Comparable results were found for the negative association between identity devaluation and well-being. Identity measures proved to be significant predictors of lesbians' well-being even after controlling for other types of support and social stress. Both identity support and identity devaluation contributed independently to the prediction of daily self-esteem and life satisfaction. Strengths and limitations of this study are discussed.

Lesbians and gay men frequently make decisions about concealing or disclosing their stigmatized identity. Past research has found that disclosing one's sexual orientation is often beneficial. This study aimed to answer the question, 'why?'. Specifically, this study tested a model in which perceived social support, emotional processing, and suppression mediate the association between disclosure and well-being. To capture disclosure decisions in real time, participants completed a 2-week daily diary study and a 2-month follow-up survey. As expected, participants generally reported greater well-being on days when they disclosed (vs. concealed) their sexual orientation. Perceived social support was a consistent predictor of well-being and mediator of the association between disclosure and well-being. Although less consistent across time and measures, emotional processing and to a lesser extent suppression were also significantly associated with disclosure and well-being. This research advances the scientific understanding of concealable stigmatized identities and their impact on individual well-being. Keywords: stigma; disclosure; social support; emotional processing; suppression

As the social context in which gay men live changes due to greater visibility, greater acceptance, and easier access to gay subculture, gay males may self-identify and take part in gay social activities at earlier ages than in the past. This study examined whether developmental milestones associated with sexual orientation for gay men have changed over the past several decades. A large and diverse sample of 2,402 gay men who responded to a 1994 survey published in a national magazine provided retrospective information on the age at which they reached individual psychological, social, and sexual behavior developmental milestones. We found evidence that individual psychological and sexual behavior milestones (e.g., awareness of attraction to males, having an orgasm with other male) are slowly moving toward earlier chronological ages (by 1 year of age every 8-25 years, p < 0.05), whereas social milestones (e.g., coming out) are moving more rapidly in a similar direction (by 1 year of age every 2-5 years, p < 0.001). The authors perform an innovative sensitivity test to demonstrate the persistence of the finding after correcting for the bias attributable to underrepresentation of those who have not yet self-identified as gay in such samples. KEYWORDS. Homosexuality, psychosexual development, developmental milestones, sexual minority youth, age differences

Gay men and lesbians must make decisions about disclosure of their sexual orientation. Past research has focused on an individual's overall level of disclosure or on disclosure to a specific subset of individuals. This study used a new measure, the Disclosure Grid, to assess the disclosure patterns of 89 gay men and 55 lesbians across their entire social network. In addition to assessing disclosure to each network member, the Grid also assessed perceived relationship quality prior to disclosure and currently. Finally, the Grid assessed perceptions of each network member's initial and current acceptance of the gay or lesbian person's sexual orientation. Data provide a rich portrait of disclosure patterns among a heterogeneous, urban sample of lesbians and gay men. Analyses also found support for three hypotheses about disclosure, relationship quality, and acceptance. For example, it was found that participants have better relationships with individuals they have directly told about their sexual orientation than with people who found out in an indirect manner. KEYWORDS. Gay, lesbian, homosexuality, disclosure, social network, coming out, relationship quality, acceptance

This study examines perceived HIV stigma in AIDS caregiving dyads in the United States, assessing the measurement of and correlates of personal stigma (among care-recipients living with HIV), courtesy stigma (among caregivers), and dyadic stigma. Survey data from 135 dyads in which the caregiver is a midlife or older mother or wife, and the care-recipient is her HIV-infected adult son or husband, are analyzed with individual-level and multilevel regression models. Results indicate that: (1) perceived stigma can be reliably measured among both persons living with HIV (PLH) and caregivers; (2) personal stigma can be distinguished from courtesy stigma; (3) perceived stigma is relatively low in this sample, and is higher among PLH than caregivers, higher among caregiving wives than mothers, and similar between PLH who are husbands and sons; (4) dyadic stigma is influenced by the caregiver's HIV status, the ethnic composition of the dyad, caregiving duration, and household income; (5) stigma discrepancy within dyads is a function of health discrepancy within dyads; and (6) differences in multivariate correlates of perceived stigma at the individual-level, in comparison to the dyad-level, suggest that dyadic stigma is a unique construct. A recognition that perceived stigma bears its own unique influence on the caregiving dyad is important for understanding how best to allocate resources aimed at alleviating stigma among individuals and families impacted by HIV. Keywords: USA; Stigma; Dyad; AIDS caregiving; HIV; Multilevel

Prospective interview data obtained using the Scanlan Collaborative Interview Method (Scanlan, Russell, Wilson, & Scanlan, 2003) allow further testing and expansion of the Sport Commitment Model (Scanlan, Carpenter, Schmidt, Simons, & Keeler, 1993) and provide a deeper understanding of the commitment process. We examine the Model constructs of Sport Enjoyment, Involvement Opportunities, Involvement Alternatives, Personal Investments, Social Constraints, and a potential new construct, Social Support, to understand how and under what conditions each of the constructs operates. The data from 15 New Zealand All Black rugby players support the Model predictions, show its generalizability from American youth sport to amateur elite-level New Zealand athletes, and suggest possible Model expansion and modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A prospective interview data using the Scalan Collaborative Interview Method (SCIM) expands the Sport Commitment Model and examines the various sports constructs and potential new constructs. This helps in understanding how and under what conditions each of these constructs operate.

Gay and lesbian political activists encourage lesbians to 'come out' and get involved. Is this good advice for lesbian couples? In these secondary analyses of data collected from 784 lesbian couples in 1979 for the American Couples Study (Blumstein & Schwartz, 1983), we examined whether social involvement and disclosure of sexual orientation were systematically associated with the quality of women's relationships. We predicted and found that partners matched on level of social involvement were happier than mismatched couples. The extent of women's social involvement had a curvilinear association with relationship quality: moderately involved couples were the most satisfied. Contrary to predictions, lesbians who had disclosed to a greater number of important others did not have more satisfying romantic relationships, nor did partner matching on self-disclosure enhance relationship quality.

An abstract of the article "The Role of Perfectionism and Self-Presentation Processes in Exercise," by Jay Lee Longbottom and Kristin P. Beals, is presented.