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Due to their influential roles in the lives of their players, understanding coaches' attitudes and perceptions toward LGBQ+ student-athletes is essential for assessing how safe collegiate sport environments are for LGBQ+ athletes. However, the research in this area has been limited. The present study aims to address this gap by investigating coaches' perceptions of LGBQ+ athletes to inform policy and education for promoting inclusive sport environments for these athletes. Participants were 1,533 collegiate coaches (Mage = 39.65 years; women = 41.3%; White = 83.7%; non-Hispanic = 86.4%; heterosexual = 74.9%) drawn from all three NCAA Divisions. In an open-ended, text response question, coaches were asked to identify the extent to which they would support and accept athletes on their teams being open about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and to describe the reasoning for their beliefs. Through reflexive thematic analysis, six higher order themes capturing coaches' rationales were identified: (a) levels of acceptance, (b) i coach, therefore i am…, (c) supportive environments are essential, (d) as a queer coach…, (e) limiting queerness, and (f) sexual orientation does not provide a competitive advantage. Analyses illuminate avenues for LGBQ+ athlete inclusion policies and training for coaches.

Counselors are called to address barriers to human growth and development through advocacy (ACA, 2014), such as those posed by inequitable health care access for socially disadvantaged groups (CDC, 2013; IOM, 2011). Health care contributes to positive health outcomes (Healthy People 2020) and is therefore an important component of advancing health equity among marginalized populations, such as older sexual minority women (SMW) with disabilities. Despite evidence of disparate health care access and health outcomes, no research to date has explored the health needs or health care experiences of disabled older SMW. This study therefore sought to address this gap in the literature by: identifying current levels of health care access and barriers among older SMW with disabilities; exploring predictors of health care access among older SMW with disabilities; and identifying protective factors, such as social support and resilience, that moderate the relationship between health care access barriers and health outcomes. Results obtained from a sample of 208 respondents provided baseline data about health care access and barriers among older SMW with disabilities. Generally, respondents had a place to receive health care, but few had access LGBTQIA+-specific health services despite indicating that this type of health care was important to them. Only about half had accessed mental health services in the last six months, and people who had accessed mental health care perceived it to be easier to access than people who had not. Respondents most highly endorsed external barriers related to cost of health care, and they reported higher health care stereotype threat related to age and disability compared to gender and sexuality. External barriers to health care were predictive of most health care access indicators (e.g., utilization of general and specific health services, as well as health outcomes). Among internal barriers, sexuality- and disability-related health care stereotype threat emerged as predictors of health care access and health outcomes respectively. Similarly, acceptability of health services, accessibility of health services, and affordability of health services were specific external barrier categories that appeared to influence health care access and outcomes among older SMW with disabilities. Neither resilience nor social support moderated the relationship of external access barriers to physical or mental health outcomes. However, resilience had a significant independent relationship with physical health outcomes, and both resilience and social support had significant independent relationships with mental health outcomes. These findings illustrate the structural factors related to health care access and outcomes for older SMW with disabilities, as posited by health equity frameworks (Braveman, 2014). The most influential internal barriers related to health care stereotype threat, which may develop in response to minority stressors specific to health care settings. The findings of this study support lifespan perspectives on LGBTQIA+ health (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Simoni et al., 2014), as well as minority stress processes (Meyer, 2003), as frameworks for understanding LGBTQIA+ health in later life. Implications for counselors, counselor educators, community organizations, and policies are discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy / LGBTQIA+ older adults are at increased risk of negative health outcomes, but helping professions have limited resources for understanding their health care needs at present. Because nearly half of older sexual minority women (SMW) have disabilities, this study examined health care access and outcomes among older SMW with disabilities. This is relevant to counseling given the field's focus on social justice, advocacy, and equity, as well as the interconnected nature of physical and mental health. Across different ways of measuring health care access, external barriers related to health care systems and societal injustice were related to whether older SMW with disabilities could access health care. Health care stereotype threat, or internalized stigma related to experiences in health care, predicted health care access and health among disabled older SMW as well. These findings suggest that poor health care utilization and poorer health outcomes among older SMW with disabilities are the result of structural oppression rather than individual choices, which requires systemic interventions to correct. More research is needed to determine how counselors and other helping professionals can enhance strengths to support health among older SMW with disabilities.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relation of sexual attitudes and knowledge on risky sexual behavior (RSB), while including sex, sexual double standards (SDS), and conservative religiosity as moderators. Findings suggested that sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes, and conservative religiosity associated negatively with RSB for female participants. SDS positively associated with RSB for male participants. The interaction of sexual knowledge and SDS on RSB was significant in male participants and indicated that higher sexual knowledge is associated with higher RSB when SDS is higher. The interaction of sexual knowledge and conservative religiosity on RSB was significant in male participants and indicated that religiosity may serve as a protective factor against engagement in risky behaviors. There was a significant interaction of sexual attitudes and SDS on RSB in female participants, which indicated a negative relation between sexual attitudes and RSB when SDS was low.

Counselors and other mental health professionals lack training on healthy sexuality and sexual identity development (SID). To begin to construct a comprehensive model of SID that can be used in counseling and counselor education, I conducted an exploratory study utilizing a grounded theory approach to collect and analyze SID stories from a purposive sample of eight adults from the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area: four male and four female; seven White Caucasian-American and one Asian American; and self-identified as two gay, one lesbian, three heterosexual, and two sexually fluid. Participants elucidated a process model of the sexual-self that incorporated biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual factors. Emergent themes included discovering, distinguishing, placing boundaries around, differentiating, and integrating the sexual-self. This preliminary model advanced a more holistic understanding of SID that counselors and other mental health professionals, educators, and researchers may find useful within their respective disciplines.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is rapidly increasing in organizations worldwide. The purpose of this cross-sectional experimental study is to compare perceptions of procedural fairness and perceptions of discrimination based on sexual orientation in AI-assisted versus human recruitment processes. Using vignettes, we asked participants (N = 278) to assess recruitment processes and fictional applicant’s LinkedIn profiles where sexual orientation was signaled. In more detail, after participants were informed about the negative decision made either by the AI tool or the human recruitment team, they were asked to report their perceptions of procedural fairness and perceptions of discrimination based on sexual orientation. We used independent samples t-tests and two-way ANOVA to analyze our main hypotheses. Our findings reveal that AI-assisted recruitment processes are perceived as less procedurally fair than human recruitment processes. In contrast, the results indicate that AI-assisted recruitment processes are perceived as less discriminatory for non-heterosexual applicants compared to heterosexual applicants. The findings cover a gap in research on perceived discrimination based on sexual orientation in AI-assisted recruitment. Moreover, by shedding light on the complexities of perceptions concerning AI-assisted and human recruitment processes, our findings underline the emerging need for organizations to invest in AI literacy, increase employees’ AI familiarity, and openly commit to AI legislation. Lastly, our findings may provide insights for informing talent acquisition strategies, learning and development programs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in digitized companies. / <p>The final thesis submission was on the 02.06.2024 however, the final seminar including the thesis defence was on the 21.05.2024.</p><p>Please find the datasets (raw and cleaned) and all further supplementary materials on OSF, these are hyperlinked in the final document.</p>

Historically, health services have pathologized individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, which contributes to avoiding or delaying seeking care and consequent later-stage diagnoses when many treatments are less effective. One determinant of seeking health care is the extent to which people feel accepted and welcome by health care providers. In recent years, progress has been made in some settings by improving patient experiences among people with different sexual orientations and gender identities. But there are few published studies on the healthcare experiences of people who identify with asexuality. This exploratory study aims to understand asexual (ace) individuals' experiences to inform ways to improve patient experience and health promotion. Grounded in phenomenological theory, a semi-structured qualitative interview was conducted via Zoom with 43 ace participants recruited from social media platforms. Through reflexive thematic analysis, it was concluded: (1) The continued lack of knowledge and understanding of asexuality and influence of compulsory sexuality in healthcare results in non-affirmative approaches to care, which negatively impacts ace patients’ healthcare experience, (2) Patients report having positive healthcare experiences with providers who exercised cultural competency and humility, providing care in a patient-centered, trauma-informed approach, and (3) Institutional factors drive patients’ overall healthcare experience. Implications of the findings and ideas for how healthcare practices and policies can be improved to be welcoming to ace patients are discussed. More empirical research is needed to understand the health needs of the ace community, with the long-term goal of improving the availability and accessibility of healthcare services.