This study reports the
results of a comprehensive online survey of 1,612 current or former members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many of whom engaged in
psychotherapy to cope with (i.e., understand, accept, or change) their same-sex
attractions.
Data obtained from written and quantitative responses showed that
therapy was initiated over a very wide age range and continued for many years.
However, counseling was largely ineffective; less than 4% reported any
modification of core same-sex erotic attraction. Moreover, 42% reported that
their change-oriented therapy was not at all effective, and 37% found it to be
moderately to severely harmful. In contrast, affirming psychotherapeutic
strategies were often found to be beneficial in reducing depression, increasing
self-esteem, and improving family and other relationships.
Results suggest that
the very low likelihood of a modification of sexual orientation and the
ambiguous nature of any such change should be important considerations for
highly religious sexual minority individuals considering reorientation therapy.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/imF7Jx
By:
a English
Department, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
b Department of
Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
c Department of
Psychology, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington, USA
d Department of
Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
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