Mental Health Issues for Sexual Minority Women : Re-Defining Women's Mental Health

by Hughes, Tonda L., Ph.D.; Smith, Carrol; Dan, Alice J.

• ISBN13: 9781560233114
• ISBN10: 1560233117
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-06
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Get a full understanding of lesbian mental health concerns! Mental Health Issues for Sexual Minority Women: Redefining Women's Mental Health presents much-needed research on sexual orientation and sexual minority populations missing from most mental health studies. This unique book identifies three areas of concern voiced in a 1999 Institute of Medicine report on lesbian health: whether lesbians are at a higher risk of mental health problems; the need for a better understanding of lesbian orientation and diversity in the lesbian population; and the need to eliminate barriers to mental health care services for lesbians. Mental Health Issues for Sexual Minority Women addresses those concerns with theoretical and empirical work that represents a broad range of disciplines and cultures. Mental Health Issues for Sexual Minority Women covers a unique and diverse range of topics missing from most books on lesbian health. The book includes original research on issues such as: body image and attitudes toward eating and dieting relationship satisfaction and conflicts substance use and sexual victimization risk factors for psychological distress among African-American lesbians and much more! Mental Health Issues for Sexual Minority Women also includes reviews of literature on traumatic victimization, internalized homophobia, and mental health issues for lesbians with physical disabilities. This groundbreaking book is a unique resource for health researchers, clinicians, academics, and students in any health profession, including nursing, medicine, public health, social work, psychology, and sociology.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Traumatic Victimization in the Lives of Lesbian and Bisexual Women: A Contextual Approach	1	(14)
Kimberly F. Balsam
The Effects of Sexual Orientation on Body Image and Attitudes About Eating and Weight	15	(20)
Linda K. Owens
Tonda L. Hughes
Dawn Owens-Nicholson
No Reflection in the Mirror: Challenges for Disabled Lesbians Accessing Mental Health Services	35	(16)
Corbett J. O'Toole
Allison A. Brown
Psychological Distress in African American Lesbian and Heterosexual Women	51	(18)
Tonda L. Hughes
Alicia K. Matthews
Lisa Razzano
Frances Aranda
Self-Reported Sexual Identity, Sexual Behaviors and Health Risks: Examples from a Population-Based Survey of Young Women	69	(16)
Susan Scheer
Cheryl A. Parks
Willi McFarland
Kimberly Page-Shafer
Viva Delgado
Juan D. Ruiz
Fred Molitor
Jeffrey D. Klausner
Identity, Stigma Management, and Well-Being: A Comparison of Lesbians/Bisexual Women and Gay/Bisexual Men	85	(16)
Riia K. Luhtanen
A Comparative Study of Lesbian and Heterosexual Women in Committed Relationships	101	(14)
Alicia K. Matthews
Jessica Tartaro
Tonda L. Hughes
Internalized Homophobia in Lesbians	115	(12)
Dawn M. Szymanski
Y. Barry Chung
Sexual Minorities Seeking Services: A Retrospective Study of the Mental Health Concerns of Lesbian and Bisexual Women	127	(20)
Tracey L. Rogers
Kristen Emanuel
Judith Bradford
Index	147