The Correlations between Mental Health and Faith in the LGBT Community
Specific Aims
• Is it true that there is a correlation between religion and mental health in individuals of the LGBT community in University of California, Riverside?
• How does religion negatively affect college students who identify as part of the LGBT community?
Introduction & Purpose
Looking around in today’s society we can see the immense diversity of people who live around us. The vast differences among each individual in society is shaped not only by their sexual identity but the religion they practice. Religion and spirituality guide the ways that people operate in the private spheres of life, influence health, psychological well being, efforts to cope with adversity
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Sexuality has always been one of religion’s most important sites of influence. Religion informs social norms regarding what constitutes acceptable patterns of sexual intimacy and outlines the consequences of violating socially sanctioned or religiously sanctioned sexual customs (Halkitis, 252). Research suggests that conflict over spirituality and sexual orientation is not merely myth; many LGB individuals do report internal conflict between their religious faith and sexual orientation, conflicts that are associated with increased shame, depression, suicidal ideation, and difficulty accepting an LGB identity (Lease, 379). My research will be examining the influence of religion on LGBT youth’s mental health because it is detrimental to understand the mind and struggle of individuals who identify as LGBT, especially in today’s society where there is a large spotlight that shines upon them. I want to understand how religion might negatively affect the mental health of LGBT youth, on whether or not there is an actual connection between religion and sexual identity and how to help struggling individuals who identify as anything but heterosexual. Now that more LGBT individuals are coming out, it is crucial to help society understand how these individuals think and how to better help them if they have shown …show more content…
I also felt that my struggle with religion greatly affected my mental health because I constantly questioned whether or not the way I was thinking and felt was due to something wrong with me. Growing up I also had many friends who struggled with their faith, mental illness, and sexuality, by experiencing my study in personal life; I am able to relate to the participants and subjects within my study. By being able to relate to my subjects I can make my research better since I can better communicate with participants and connect with the subjects. I better understand the subject I am studying and I can better explain the data I am conveying. A problem that could arise from this though is that I too biased and not as
This article by Brittany H. Bramlett analyzes the relationship with religion and contact with homosexuals in the United States. The article takes a look on how relationships with gays and lesbians may influence people of different faiths and religious traditions differently or not at all (The Cross-Pressures of Religion and Contact with Gays 1). The results from the article showed that people of
In this article, the key research questions and hypothesis proposed are: 1) does the family acceptance and supportive behavior predicts show a difference in "…self-esteem, social support, general health status, depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and behaviors" (cite?) and can be influential to the health and mental health of LGBT adolescents and young adults? 2) Can the relationship between family and their children 's LGBT identity as they go into adulthood effect their health and mental health status? The hypothesis states that being accepted of LGBT adolescents can be connected to a decreased in mental and behavior health 's then increasing the chance of having positive influences in the phases of their adulthood.
Religion and spirituality reach into the depths of the human psyche and strongly influence a nation’s way of life.
In the article Meatal Health Correlates of Perceived Discrimination Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in the United States, authors Vickie M. Mays and Susan D. Cochran discuss their research, the results, and their methodology. However, could a different methodology provide different results? Were Mays and Cochran’s results sound?
The young people of the LGBT community do in fact have increased risks when it comes to their mental health. For example: Compared to homeless youth that identify as heterosexual, LGBT adolescents are more likely to have major depressive episodes (41.3% vs. 28.5%), suicidal thoughts (73% vs. 53.2%), at least one suicide attempt (57.1% vs. 33.7%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (47.6% vs. 33.4%) (Keuroghlian, A. S., Shtasel, D., & Bassuk, E. L., 2014). It is also shown that homeless youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, ranging from 13 to 21 years of age are more apt than youth who identify as heterosexual to experience and report symptoms of depression and use street drugs such as, methamphetamines, cocaine and or crack (Keuroghlian, A. S., Shtasel, D., & Bassuk, E. L., 2014).
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) falls within societal minority groups such as low income, people of color, and disables (AHRQ, 2011). Due to their gender identity, discrimination, violence, and even denial of human rights and healthcare services is a common challenge among LGBT population. LGBT still faces many health disparities primarily related to the historic bias of healthcare professionals anti-LGBT manners even though society acceptance has been favorable. According to Ard and Makadon (n.d), “until 1973, homosexuality was listed as a disorder…, and transgender still is.” This stigma prevents healthcare professionals to openly ask questions in a non-judgmental manner related to sexual identity. On the other hand, if the patient senses that the healthcare environment is discriminating they may be reluctant to disclose important information as their sexual orientation; thus, missing important opportunities of been educated about safety and health care risks.
The first source, “Suicidality Among Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth,” researches a study of 21,927 sexually active students in the grades 9 through
Society’s view of the LGBTQ population has changed dramatically over time. Until 1973, the American Psychological Association had considered homosexuality to be a mental disorder (Silvestre, Beatty, & Friedman, 2013). Today, many LGBTQ couples are getting married and raising children. Although these individuals are receiving more legal benefits, they still must struggle with the stigma that society has associated with these gender and sexual identities (Hequembourg & Dearing, 2013). This stigma has contributed to a variety of issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer or questioning individuals. Although little research has been done on LGBTQ families and substance abuse, studies have shown that there are high rates of substance abuse for individuals who are of sexual minorities (McCabe, West, Hughes, & Boyd, 2013; Senreich, 2009; Silvestre, Beatty, & Friedman, 2013). In addition to high rates of substance abuse for LGBTQ individuals, many problems exist for those in families with LGBTQ members. Youth may have a
Religious exercises give a premise to social backing outside of the home, consequently battling the dejection, despondency and separation which can prompt psychological wellness issues (Sherkat and Ellison 1999). An investigation of 14,521 understudies utilizing the National College Alcohol Study information set found that the individuals who reported being in any event to some degree religious experienced less manifestations of misery than the individuals who pronounced themselves not religious, but rather it didn't control for any outside components (Phillips and Henderson, 2006). Understudies who discovered significance in religion adapted preferable to stressors over the individuals who did not (Pollard and Bates, 2004). Then again, understudies who were more included in most profound sense of being accounted for larger amounts of individual
The second great force at the turn of the century is itself global: the emergence of women in the public sphere, including the public face of religion. This is in part a function of women's growing economic and political power, but also a result of religion itself coming into the public sphere in new ways. Many aspects of religion have long been considered private and relegated largely to the context of home and family, where women have often been the primary practitioners, though men might dominate in institutional leadership positions. As both religion and women move out of the private into the public sphere, new challenges arise. For example, central facets of family and home particularly love and sex which have more traditionally been the purview of women and of religion have entered the realm
The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to
The LGBT community has been silently suffering through generations. But in this generation, they are finally showing the world their voice. There have been many instances where young adults were denied their right to be who they are and now they are speaking out about the mistreatment. Even though the united states have begun to be more open about the LGBT community here is still more change it come. These changes can be explained through many sociological perspectives including: functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionism and interactionism. Along with these perspective religion, norms and deviance all impact these individuals who are striving to be open about who they really are inside and out.
Sullivan (2002) and Bennett (2002) both use religious assertions to explain their views on same-sex marriages. Sullivan (2002) says that
Who are we to dictate who someone loves? The definition of love is the action that two people share. The definition does not say love only occurs between a man and a woman. The article, “Gay marriage proposals destructive to society, Vatican official says,” is an argument against gay marriage. The author, John Thavis, claims that homosexuals are just struggling to find themselves and that same-sex marriage disrupts the normal sexuality and fertility of a couple. In “Support for Homosexuals’ Civil Liberties”, Kristin Kenneavy discusses how religious outlooks influence a family’s beliefs on same sex marriage. The two articles show the different views on gay marriage by
In this course, I found the connection between religion and politics the most important concept we’ve studied. With engagement and understanding of politics becoming increasingly important, it’s valuable to study the ways people both interact with politics and form their political opinions—and as we’ve seen, religion can play a huge role in both of these aspects. However, the way religious groups engage with politics can perhaps be generalizing when discussing major religions, seeing as these groups are often widely diverse and brimming with unique experiences. Therefore, I believe it is just as important to discuss the political dimension of religion with the social influences of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and the interrelations between them.