Impact of Family Environment on Future Mental Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between dimensions of functioning in the family of origin of graduate students in helping profession programs and their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. One hundred forty-three participants completed the Family Environment Scale (FES-R: Moos & Moos, 1986), the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men scale (ATLG: Herek, 1994), and demographic questions. Results suggest that three family dimensions (conflict, intellectual-cultural orientation, and moral-religious emphasis) significantly predicted attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. The results also revealed that younger students held more negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men than their older peers. Implications for educators, researchers, and practitioners are discussed.

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

“…Among graduate social work and counseling students assessed by the ATL and ATG, older students were more likely to hold negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians (Kissinger et al, 2009). In another study of graduate students, though not exclusively in social work, 7% reported negative attitudes, which were significantly more likely among those who identified as conservative and religious, male, and, to a lesser extent, self-identified as African-Americans (Newman et al, 2002).…”

“…Factor analyses have generated strong validity for the ATL and ATG (see Herek, 2004, for multiple citations;Cárdenas & Barrientos, 2008;Stoever & Morera, 2007) and convergent and discriminant validity has also been reported (Herek, 1984(Herek, , 1988(Herek, , 2006Kissinger et al, 2009). In addition, a test for socially desirable response bias demonstrated that this was not a factor in responses (Herek, 1998, as cited in Rosik, 2007.…”

“…And yet, social work students in two studies conducted, respectively, in Australia and Canada (which have comparable mandates) reported that their course work did not address issues relevant to gay men and lesbians at all (Brownlee et al, 2005;Camilleri & Ryan, 2006). In two U.S. studies, students reported that faculty expressed negative attitudes about gay men and lesbians (Kissinger et al, 2009). After finding high levels of subtle prejudice toward nonheterosexuals among social work practitioners, Martinez, Barsky, and Singleton (2011) implored social work faculty to revise educational curriculum, blaming the reified curriculum itself, rather than the professionals responsible for designing and delivering it.…”

“…This paucity of research on the attitudes of social work educators is of concern given that content about gay men and lesbians is not uniformly nor universally addressed in the classroom (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al, 2010) and, when it is, it is often portrayed negatively (Kissinger, Lee, Twitty, & Kisner, 2009). Kissinger and colleagues (2009) found in two studies that graduate students in social work report faculty expressing negative attitudes about gay men and lesbians (Kissinger et al, 2009).…”

“…Kissinger and colleagues (2009) found in two studies that graduate students in social work report faculty expressing negative attitudes about gay men and lesbians (Kissinger et al, 2009). In addition, social work students in two studies conducted, respectively, in Australia and Canada (which have comparable mandates), report that their course work failed to address issues relevant to gay men and lesbians (Brownlee et al, 2005;Camilleri & Ryan, 2006).…”