Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unequal Treatment : Sociocultural Identities And Their Effects On Eating Diorder Treatment Access And Efficacy, Hannah NoëL Smith

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore ways in which eating disorder treatment can be made not only more accessible, but more effective for clients who identify as people of color, lower-socioeconomic status (SES), trans and gender nonconforming, and people whose Body Mass Index (BMI) normal or higher at the time of treatment.

Data was collected using a survey, which was completed by 28 participants recruited through Facebook eating disorder recovery groups and Instagram. Participants were asked to describe their racial identity, gender identity, SES, and BMI, then reflect on the experience of seeking eating disorder treatment.

The findings …

Gestalt Therapists' Perspectives On Gender In The Therapeutic Relationship : Implications For Anti-Oppressive Practice, Benjamin Philip Borkan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study seeks to explore How does Gestalt therapy training influence therapists in navigating clinical encounters involving gender identity? Gestalt therapists’ responses noted the importance of authenticity, contact, ability to question biases, self-examination, personal responsibility, and the therapist’s sense of their own gender identity privilege and oppression. Gestalt therapy is contrasted with anti-oppressive practice principles, in which there are congruent philosophies between Gestalt therapy and anti-oppressive practice principles. Participants’ and this author’s recommendations for future research include further research on the efficacy of Gestalt therapy training in working with varying identities, as well as gathering perspectives from people of marginalized …

Gender Identity And Childhood Experiences : An Introductory Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Gender Identity And Adverse Childhood Experiences, Liam P. Malone

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

It has been established that individuals with transgender* identities experience abuse and trauma at higher frequencies than individuals with non-transgender identities (Mascis, 2011). Gender dysphoria currently exists as a mental health diagnosis, perpetuating stigma as well as pathologizing gender variance. Clinical social workers have preserved a harmful formulation that gender dysphoria is a disorder caused by trauma. There has been scarce quantitative research to date exploring a relationship between transgender identities and adverse childhood experiences. This study aims to: (1) contribute to a foundation of introductory quantitative research on how childhood experiences interact with gender identity, (2) examine the frequency …

Standing On The Edge Of The "Rubyfruit Jungle" : Lesbians Recall The Experience Of Questioning In Therapy, Emily Willstatter

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was twofold: to pursue an existing gap in the literature on therapy with people questioning their sexuality; and to represent a lesbian perspective on the experience of questioning one’s sexual orientation. A previous study (Jones et al., 2003) found that gay and bisexual people who were uncertain of their sexual orientation at the start of therapy rated the treatment as overall less beneficial than gay and bisexual people who had begun therapy while certain of their identities. This study explored the possible reasons behind this finding by investigating a small (N=13) but diverse group of …

It's Time To Talk About Sex And Social Work : Why Human Sexuality Education Matters For Social Work Practice, Sophia R. Glass

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This researched investigated human sexuality training received in social work programs and its impact on clinical practice. Specifically, it examined clinicians’ comfort and competency addressing sex and sexuality related topics with clients. 67 participants were recruited via a nonprobability snowball sampling technique, and data was gathered anonymously through a secure web-based survey instrument. The findings supported the author’s hypothesis that there is a substantial lack of human sexuality training in social work programs despite the finding that sexuality is highly relevant to clinical work. Barriers to social workers effectively addressing these topics with clients were identified as inadequate education and …

The Kids Feel (More Than) All Right : A Study Exploring The Subjective Experiences And Perceptions Of Adult-Male Children Raised In Planned Lesbian Families As Relates To Their Gender Development, Naomi D. Drexler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experiences and perceptions of adult-male children of planned lesbian families as relates to their gender development. Furthermore, this study sought to explore if/how adult-male children of planned lesbian families perceive their family form to have impacted their constructions and expressions of masculinity and male identity. No study to date has exclusively, nor deeply, explored the subjective experiences and perceptions of this particular population as relates specifically to their gender development. This qualitative study relied on intensive interviewing as its data collection method. Interviews were semi-structured and conducted in person or …

Developing A Protocol For The Treatment Of Transitioning Adolescents : A Survey Of Gender Clinics In The United States, Elise Lehotsky

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The goal of this descriptive study is to determine what is common practice for endocrine intervention with adolescents diagnosed with GD or seeking treatment related to gender identity. The study surveyed gender clinics in the United States that work with adolescent clients. Gender clinics are defined by this study to be one or more providers who work with adolescents to actualize their gender identity. Twenty gender clinics completed a mixed method survey that asked them to describe basic demographics of their clinic, what recommendations they utilize to influence their treatment protocols, if and how mental health is involved in treatment, …

Narratives Of Thriving : Black Lesbian And Queer Women Negotiating Racism, Sexism, And Heterosexism, Arianne J. Napier

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative exploratory study explores the narratives that Black lesbian and queer women age 21 to 35 tell about their lived experience by addressing racism, sexism, and heterosexism and how Black lesbian and queer women live and negotiate in the world. In exploring these narratives, the research focused on the following questions: What are the ways in which Black Lesbian and Queer Women create their own story as they negotiate at the margins of society? How do Black lesbian women create meaning out of their experiences in the face of racism, sexism, and heterosexism? The study found that these 12 …

The Birds And The Bees Can Have Canes And Wheels : The Sexual Identity Formation Of Women With Visible Physical Disabilities, Clara J. Miller

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The study descriptively examines the views women with visible physical disabilities have on their sexual identity formation. For the purposes of this study, the term sexual identity is defined as an awareness of one's self as a sexual being. 158 self-identified women with visible physical disabilities answered survey questions about their experiences during their adolescent years. Overall, this study found that women with disabilities face the same difficulties as their abled-bodied peers, but face additional struggles having to do with their disability when forming their sexual identity.

Theories And Interventions With Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Clients, Charles R. Shealy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This original qualitative study identifies the theories and techniques therapists have found supportive in their work with Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming clients. Twelve clinicians currently in practice in the New York City area and one clinician from Virginia who had experience working with Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming clients were interviewed. The questions posed to them were intended to guide them to reflect on their practice considering what theories arose as themes in their work and what techniques or approaches arose as supportive in their work with this population. Their responses were in line with the current body of literature reflecting …

How Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Youth Develop Positive Identities During Adolescence And Young Adulthood, Lauren E. Millerd

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was designed to examine the ways in which gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents form positive identities, specifically in strength-based ways looking at factors of resilience. Twelve individuals, aged 22-28, were interviewed to give retrospective information about their adolescent development. By utilizing a semi-structured interview model for this study, the researcher was able to analyze the subjective findings utilizing thematic analysis. Significant findings include the influential nature of one's first disclosure of sexual orientation in the development of one's identity, and the positive impact that role models have for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth during adolescence.

Exploring Mental Dungeons And Slaying Psychic Dragons : An Exploratory Study, Michael S. Sargent

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examined the experiences of participants with table-top roleplaying and with the gaming community. Specifically this study asked: In what ways do fantasy play and participation in the role-playing community benefit participants? This study aimed to address the lack of social work literature regarding the emotional and social benefits that roleplaying games provide consumers. Data were collected from interviews with six individuals who regularly engage in tabletop role-playing games. The study asked open ended questions regarding participants' experiences with the role-playing community, thematic and emotional content experienced within the fantasy setting, and benefits participants felt they'd gained from …

Trans Enough : Trans/Gender Identities And (Mis)Representation In Social Work, Christopher C. Hamann

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study critically examines the current discourse in social work on transgender individuals in an attempt to be a starting point for those seeking to gain a better understanding of the ways in which the profession has conceptualized and served this population over the last 25 years. Queer theory and critical discourse analysis were used to analyze a final sample of 30 social work articles that focus on the transgender subject. Analytical focus was aimed at the production and reproduction of social norms, particularly those that function through heteronormativity, as well as forces of power operating within the discourse. Through …

Working With Gender Nonconforming Children : Why Does The Debate Continue?, Gillian A. Harvey

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This original empirical study explored why consensus about best practice models for working with gender nonconforming children and their families has not been reached, and identified practice frameworks available to assist clinical social workers in meeting the social and emotional needs of this vulnerable population. The experience and perspectives of 14 Canadian gender identity experts were elicited through self-developed, semi-structured interviews composed of questions that encouraged professionals to reflect on their opinion as to why the debate about how to best respond continues, as well as, their philosophical and theoretical approach to caring for gender nonconforming children and their families. …

It's Common (But We Don't Talk About It) : How Straight Male Use Of Gay Male Porn Influences Acts, Identities, And Desire, Solomon Z. Traurig

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study was conducted to determine what potential pornography might hold as a productive space for exploring desire and identity, in addition to influencing sexual behaviors or preferences outside of pornography use. Specifically, this research set out to understand how and why individuals may watch pornography that represents identities or acts that are not considered to be in alignment with their stated or felt sexual orientation. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area, with 11 straight- or formerly straight-identified men. From there, interview data was organized and coded with thematic analysis. Although the findings were …

Men In Social Work : A Qualitative Exploratory Study Of The Male Experience, James E. Flood

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examines male gender identity in social work. The purpose of this study was exploratory in nature and asked how men in social work construct and reflect on their male identity. The investigation is based on the perspectives of 12 male licensed social workers from across the country. Further, the study explores influences of male gender identity construction, the male experience in social work education and the male experience in social work practice. The most compelling findings were that while men tend to be the numerical minority in social work they still occupy more positions of privilege; that …

Gender As Compromise Formation : Towards A Radical Psychoanalytic Theory Of Trans*, Laura K. Werner-Larsen

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study explores the utility of psychoanalytic theory as a tool for working with trans* identified clients. Acknowledging the deeply problematic history of psychoanalytic theory and practice with trans*clients, the study nevertheless contends that a radical rereading of the psychoanalytic canon can provide a theory of gender as compromise formation and a conceptual toolkit that can allow for anti-oppressive clinical work around gender identity from a psychodynamic perspective. Using conceptual history and conceptual analysis as a methodological frame, the study delineates five concepts in contemporary psychoanalytic theorizing that support the depathologizing of trans* identity and the denormalization of cisgender …

Gender Spectrum : Exploring Gender Diversity In Schools : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Schools That Received Gender Spectrum Training On The Topics Of Gender And Gender Diversity, Meredith S. Abrams

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The world is witnessing a major shift in the way individuals in the helping professions and Western society understand gender outside the historical binary of male/female. In response to the limited literature that examines how gender and gender diversity is understood, taught, and integrated into educational institutions, the researcher provides an overview of a selected literature which informs the specific topics of gender and gender diversity in schools. This study explored how the information presented in Gender Spectrum trainings was utilized and integrated into four identified natural entry points (personal, structural, interpersonal, and instructional) for creating gender inclusive schools and …

Navigating The Experience Of Identity Intersection : An Exploration Of The Lesbian Mother Identity In The United States, Sarah A. Horn

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of lesbian women who have become mothers. My specific research aim was to investigate the formation of the lesbian-mother identity in terms of the way the individual woman's identity as a lesbian is shaped by her new experience and identity as a mother. Within this framework, I looked at which identity felt most salient in everyday life and how the individual woman felt each identity had contributed to her sense of self. I also looked at the different factors that either reinforce or inhibit an individual's likelihood to feel comfortable …

I Will Not Let You Go Until You Bless Me : An Exploratory Study Of Gay Christian Men's Integration Of Religious And Sexual Identities, John Paul Reardon

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Eleven self-identified gay Christian men were interviewed regarding the process by which they integrated their gay and Christian identities. The data revealed that they experienced a three-phase process The first phase, Initial Dissonance, occurred as their emerging gay identities came into conflict with the conservative Christian churches to which they belonged. Participants experienced both implicit and explicit rejection. Some isolated themselves in order to avoid rejection. The second phase consisted of an Initial Response to the dissonance. Responses included compartmentalized homosexual experimentation, attempts to reject the gay identity through suppression of sexual desires, reparative therapy, and participation in Ex-Gay ministries. …

Leaving The Drug Addict Role And Creating A Recovering Identity-Variations By Gender : A Qualitative Study, Georgiana Mora

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study seeks to understand gender variance when an individual leaves a "drug addict role" and creates a "recovering addict role" within the ideological constraints of 12-step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous). Noting the limitations of addiction literature when examining the experiences of the entire gender variation spectrum, the researcher set out to identify whether this process varied among the genders and explore these results. Twelve qualitative interviews were conducted with addicts of various genders who had at least one year of sobriety within the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Participants were asked to share their …

The Impact Of The Gender Binary On Gender Nonconforming Females' Lives And Psyches Over Time : An Exploratory Study, Samantha Mayne Miller

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of the systematically imposed gender binary on the lives and psyches of gender non-conforming females over time. To pursue this qualitative research, I conducted single, exploratory, hour-long interviews with eight gender nonconforming females aged 59 years and older. The interviews touched upon many themes including the multiple ways participants' identify their gender, sex, and sexuality (and the developmental trajectory of each); how each participant relates to notions of the gender binary; participants' experiences as gender nonconforming young people, or "tomboys"; ways that families, institutions and the general public have performed …

The Implications Of Physical Beauty Norms On Gender Identity Development, Sexual Identity Formation, And Sense Of Self In The Femme Queer Community, Megan Oberdorfer

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study sought to ascertain what physical beauty norms are present in the femme queer community and how these standards of beauty influence the experience of women who selfidentify as femme and queer. Utilizing semi-structured interviews with 10 participants that selfidentified as female, femme, and queer, this qualitative study examined how standards of beauty in the femme queer community affect one's sense of gender identity, the process of one's sexual identity formation, and one's sense of self. For the purpose of this study, the term queer serves an inclusionary function and is used to define a wide range of sexual …

Gender Identity Development In Individuals With Autism : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Emily Green Kalafarski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the development of gender identity in children with autism. This research asked "Do people on the autism spectrum acquire gender identity differently than those who are neurotypically developing?" It was hypothesized that those on the autism spectrum did acquire gender identity differently, and that this process may be more influenced by individual cognition than social learning. This was a descriptive study that was cross-sectional in nature. Young adults were asked retrospective questions in a mixed-methods survey that was conducted on the internet. A sample of 29 participants comprised this study. No clear …

Moving Through And Beyond : A Qualitative Exploration Of Self-Identified Gender Nonconforming Participants' Experiences Of Binary Gender Regulation, Ellen C. Daly

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was undertaken to explore, and bring into social work discourse, gender nonconforming participants' experiences and meaning-making of binary gender regulation, specifically within relational contexts throughout their lives. Qualitative interviews were completed with 13 participants who identified with the descriptor of gender nonconforming in some way. The following questions were explored: How does the binary gender system become reproduced, maintained, enforced, and regulated through the lives of those who do not, and many times choose not, to adhere to and/or embody the constrictive and limiting expectations of this system? How is such regulation understood and internalized? What are …

The Black Barbershop : Intersections Of Sexuality, Masculinity And Gender Expressions : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Antwan Vernard Nedd

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examines to what extent African American gay males who frequent the black barbershop share in their expressions of sexuality and masculinity while in the barbershop. The study further investigates the influence of the black barbershop on African American gay males and their comfort with expressing their masculinity and sexuality in this setting and the notion that the black barbershop functions as a microcosm of the black community, by reinforcing heterosexist philosophies. The participants, eight self-identified African American gay men, were recruited by word-of-mouth and snowball sampling. The researcher administered a demographic survey and interviewed participants about their …

Free To Act Any Way He Wanted : Male Gender Identity And Professional Wrestling, Daniel Sarnat Millman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study explores professional wrestling as a performance of masculinity. After briefly outlining what American professional wrestling is, and why its study is highly relevant to the field of social work, this study considers how professional wrestling may meet needs of its male fans related to their experiences of gender identity development. This study draws on Sharon Mazer's work of conceptualizing professional wrestling as a performance of masculinity. It draws on a body of feminist, postmodern, psychoanalytic theory which critiques the notion of gender as a binary, essential, and biologically determined category, and asserts that each person's development of …