John Pachankis | |
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Born | |
Academic background | |
Education | Loyola University MA, PhD, Stony Brook University |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Yale School of Public Health |
Website |
John E. Pachankis is an American clinical psychologist. He is the Susan Dwight Bliss Professor at the Yale School of Public Health. His research has examined the nature of stigma and its impact on mental health and social functioning. He specifically studies the psychological experiences of LGBT individuals,including processes of identity formation and identity concealment;the cognitive,emotional,and behavioral consequences of stigma-based rejection and exclusion;and affirmative mental health treatments for LGBT populations.
Pachankis was born and raised in Shreveport,Louisiana. He completed his undergraduate education at Loyola University New Orleans and earned his PhD in clinical psychology (quantitative focus) at Stony Brook University in 2008 as a student of Marvin Goldfried. Upon completing his clinical internship at McLean Hospital,Harvard Medical School,Pachankis accepted an assistant professor position at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Pachankis joined the faculty at the Yale School of Public Health as an associate professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2013. He has secondary appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology. In 2018,Pachankis received tenure and,the following year,he earned the endowed professorship title,Bliss Associate Professor of Public Health [1]
Pachankis directs the Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative,which "provides a home for scholars and scholarship devoted to understanding and improving the mental health of LGBTQ populations in the US and around the world." [2]
Pachankis’research laboratory uses experiments,longitudinal cohort studies,and clinical trials to study how LGBT people are affected by their social environments and to develop evidence-based strategies for reducing LGBT people's disproportionate risk of depression,anxiety,suicidality,and high-risk substance use. [3]
Across his career,Pachankis has studied the social determinants and psychological consequences of concealing one's sexual orientation. With Richard Bränström,he estimated that the majority of the world's sexual minority population is closeted,as a function of anti-LGBT laws,policies,and attitudes across much of the world. [4] With Mark Hatzenbuehler,he found that the length of time that gay and bisexual men spend in the closet is associated with the degree to which their self-worth is contingent on external sources of approval and status,the so-called “Best Little Boy in the World”hypothesis. [5] This study also found that investing one's self-worth in external sources of regard was associated with loneliness,negative mood,and dishonesty. [6] Pachankis has conducted some of the few population-based studies of the closet,finding that the mental health correlates of not being out differ by gender and social support. [7] [8] In a meta-analysis of 193 studies,his team found a small positive association between sexual orientation concealment and poor mental health and a small negative association between sexual orientation concealment and substance use and highlighted several methodological limitations of existing research on sexual orientation concealment. [9]
Pachankis has been a leader in the LGBT-affirmative psychotherapy movement,having developed one of the only mental health treatments for sexual minority people to have been tested in randomized controlled trials. [10] This treatment is based in cognitive-behavioral therapy and is informed by identity-affirming principles and techniques. In waitlist trials,the treatment has shown significant reductions in depression,high-risk alcohol use,and HIV-transmission-risk behavior. This treatment has been adapted for sexual minority women, [11] Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men (with Skyler Jackson),Chinese gay and bisexual men (with Xianhong Li and Si Pan), [12] and Romanian gay and bisexual men (with Corina Lelutiu-Weinberger). He has worked with community organizations in the US and several other countries to implement this evidence-based LGBT-affirmative mental health treatment in local settings. As a result of this research,Pachankis received the 2017 American Psychological Association Division 44 Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award for his contributions to LGBT psychology. [13] and the 2018 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. [14] Pachankis co-edited the Handbook of Evidence-Based Practice with Sexual and Gender Minorities,which received the Distinguished Book Award from Division 44 of the American Psychological Association.
Pachankis proposed gay community stress theory,suggesting that gay and bisexual men face exacerbated masculine-based status pressures and competition because they seek social and sexual reward from other men. Across a series of qualitative,survey,and experimental studies,Pachankis and colleagues found partial support for this theory. For instance,gay and bisexual men with low social status who were rejected in a simulated online chatroom experienced more felt rejection if they were rejected by gay men rather than heterosexual men. In survey research,experiences of gay community stress (i.e.,stress emanating from the gay community's focus on sex,status,competition,and exclusion of diversity) are associated with poorer mental health and more risk-taking even when controlling for experiences of stigma-based stress from heterosexual people. [15] [16] These findings have been used to influence social media apps to take steps to address the stigma that takes place on them. [17] [18] [19]
Biphobia is aversion toward bisexuality and bisexual people as individuals. It is a form of homophobia against those in the bisexual community. It can take the form of denial that bisexuality is a genuine sexual orientation,or of negative stereotypes about people who are bisexual. Other forms of biphobia include bisexual erasure.
The field of psychology has extensively studied homosexuality as a human sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1952,but that classification came under scrutiny in research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. That research and subsequent studies consistently failed to produce any empirical or scientific basis for regarding homosexuality as anything other than a natural and normal sexual orientation that is a healthy and positive expression of human sexuality. As a result of this scientific research,the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973. Upon a thorough review of the scientific data,the American Psychological Association followed in 1975 and also called on all mental health professionals to take the lead in "removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated" with homosexuality. In 1993,the National Association of Social Workers adopted the same position as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association,in recognition of scientific evidence. The World Health Organization,which listed homosexuality in the ICD-9 in 1977,removed homosexuality from the ICD-10 which was endorsed by the 43rd World Health Assembly on 17 May 1990.
Michael Lawrence Hendricks is an American psychologist,suicidologist,and an advocate for the LGBT community. He has worked in private practice as a partner at the Washington Psychological Center,P.C. in northwest Washington,D.C.,since 1999. Hendricks is an adjunct professor of clinical psychopharmacology and has taught at Argosy University,Howard University,and Catholic University of America. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA).
A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity,orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Primarily used to refer to lesbian,gay,bisexual,or non-heterosexual individuals,it can also refer to transgender,non-binary or intersex individuals.
Gender is correlated with the prevalence of certain mental disorders,including depression,anxiety and somatic complaints. For example,women are more likely to be diagnosed with major depression,while men are more likely to be diagnosed with substance abuse and antisocial personality disorder. There are no marked gender differences in the diagnosis rates of disorders like schizophrenia,borderline personality disorder,and bipolar disorder. Men are at risk to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to past violent experiences such as accidents,wars and witnessing death,and women are diagnosed with PTSD at higher rates due to experiences with sexual assault,rape and child sexual abuse. Nonbinary or genderqueer identification describes people who do not identify as either male or female. People who identify as nonbinary or gender queer show increased risk for depression,anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. People who identify as transgender demonstrate increased risk for depression,anxiety,and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ego-dystonic sexual orientation is a highly controversial mental health diagnosis that was included in the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) from 1980 to 1987 and in the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD) from 1990 to 2019. Individuals could be diagnosed with ego-dystonic sexual orientation if their sexual orientation or attractions were at odds with their idealized self-image,causing anxiety and a desire to change their orientation or become more comfortable with it. It describes not innate sexual orientation itself,but a conflict between the sexual orientation a person wished to have and their actual sexual orientation.
The questioning of one's sexual orientation,sexual identity,gender,or all three is a process of exploration by people who may be unsure,still exploring,or concerned about applying a social label to themselves for various reasons. The letter "Q" is sometimes added to the end of the acronym LGBT;the "Q" can refer to either queer or questioning.
Gregory M. Herek is a researcher,author,and professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis (UCD). He has conducted extensive research on prejudice against sexual minorities,and coined the term sexual prejudice as a replacement for homophobia to describe this phenomenon. Herek argued that using the term homophobia incorrectly assumes that negative responses to lesbian,gay,and bisexual people are founded in pathological,irrational fear,whereas psychological research indicates they are more accurately regarded as a form of prejudice. Herek is an openly and prominent gay psychologist. Herek is considered one of the most influential scholars of sexual minorities.
As defined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,military sexual trauma (MST) are experiences of sexual assault,or repeated threatening sexual harassment that occurred while a person was in the United States Armed Forces.
Gay affirmative psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy for non-heterosexual people,specifically gay and lesbian clients,which focuses on client comfort in working towards authenticity and self-acceptance regarding sexual orientation,and does not attempt to "change" them to heterosexual,or to "eliminate or diminish" same-sex "desires and behaviors". The American Psychological Association (APA) offers guidelines and materials for gay affirmative psychotherapy. Affirmative psychotherapy affirms that homosexuality or bisexuality is not a mental disorder,in accordance with global scientific consensus. In fact,embracing and affirming gay identity can be a key component to recovery from other mental illnesses or substance abuse. Clients whose religious beliefs are interpreted as teaching against homosexual behavior may require some other method of integration of their possibly conflicting religious and sexual selves.
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors for lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof,including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometimes combined with coming out,the act of revealing one's gender or sexuality to others,to create the phrase "coming out of the closet".
Various topics in medicine relate to lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender people. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA),besides HIV/AIDS,issues related to LGBT health include breast and cervical cancer,hepatitis,mental health,substance use disorders,alcohol use,tobacco use,depression,access to care for transgender persons,issues surrounding marriage and family recognition,conversion therapy,refusal clause legislation,and laws that are intended to "immunize health care professionals from liability for discriminating against persons of whom they disapprove."
Research has found that attempted suicide rates and suicidal ideation among lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender (LGBT) youth are significantly higher than among the general population.
Minority stress describes high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups. It may be caused by a number of factors,including poor social support and low socioeconomic status;well understood causes of minority stress are interpersonal prejudice and discrimination. Indeed,numerous scientific studies have shown that when minority individuals experience a high degree of prejudice,this can cause stress responses that accrue over time,eventually leading to poor mental and physical health. Minority stress theory summarizes these scientific studies to explain how difficult social situations lead to chronic stress and poor health among minority individuals.
Self-concealment is a psychological construct defined as "a predisposition to actively conceal from others personal information that one perceives as distressing or negative". Its opposite is self-disclosure.
Ilan H. Meyer is an American psychiatric epidemiologist,author,professor,and a senior scholar for public policy and sexual orientation law at the Williams Institute of UCLA. He has conducted extensive research on minority identities related to sexual orientation,gender,race and ethnicity,drawing conclusions on the impact of social stresses on their mental health. Meyer was an expert witness for the plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (2010),the federal case that overturned California Proposition 8.
LGBT psychology is a field of psychology of surrounding the lives of LGBTQ individuals,in the particular the diverse range of psychological perspectives and experiences of these individuals. It covers different aspects such as identity development including the coming out process,parenting and family practices and support for LGBTQ individuals,as well as issues of prejudice and discrimination involving the LGBTQ community.
Jeffrey T. Parsons is an American psychologist,researcher,and educator;he was a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Hunter College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and was the Director of Hunter College’s Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies &Training,which he founded in 1996. Parsons was trained as a developmental psychologist and applied this training to understand health,with a particular emphasis on HIV prevention and treatment. He was known for his research on HIV risk behaviors of gay,bisexual,and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM),HIV-related syndemics,and sexual compulsivity. He resigned his positions at CUNY on July 3,2019,following a year-long university investigation of misconduct allegations against him.
Lisa Bowleg is an applied social psychologist known for conducting research on intersectionality in social and behavioral science and the relationship between social-contextual factors and stress,resilience,and HIV risk in Black communities.
LGBT trauma is the distress an individual experiences due to being a lesbian,gay,bisexual,trans,queer person or from possessing another minoritized sexual or gender identity. This distress can be harmful to the individual and predispose them to trauma- and stressor-related disorders.
John Pachankis publications indexed by Google Scholar