Faculty Sponsor
Tanya L. Tompkins
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library
Date
5-11-2012 3:00 PM
End Date
5-11-2012 4:30 PM
Subject Area
Gender Studies
Description
Transgender (TG) individuals, or those whose gender identities, expressions and/or behaviors differ from their biological sex (Kirk & Kulkarni, 2006) feel there is a pervasive pattern of discrimination and prejudice directed toward them (Lombardi et al., 2001). In comparison to their heterosexual peers, LGBT youth and emerging adults are at increased risk for a host of adverse outcomes including: suicide, depression, harassment, and victimization (IOM, 2011).
Stigma has been characterized as encompassing several components: labeling, making an association between the label and a negative stereotype, separating those who are different as an “out-group” and discriminating. In a recent analysis of the transgender experience, Hill (2002) described three key constructs that can be used to understand negative emotions and behaviors toward transgender individuals: transphobia – an emotional disgust toward gender non-conforming individuals; genderism – a belief that gender non-conforming individuals are pathological or disordered; gender bashing – assault or harassment of gender non-conforming individuals.
Recent work on minority stress posits a distal-proximal model of stress in which a person identifies with and makes proximal, distal social attitudes that can have negative effects on their psychological well-being (Meyer, 2003). Thus, stigmatized attitudes and behaviors not only have the potential to contribute to violence or discriminatory behavior but also have a direct impact on the psychological health of the target individual. Thus, the question of how to change negative attitudes and behaviors toward TG individuals is paramount.
Researchers have sought to develop interventions aimed at reducing stigma with three basic strategies identified: protest, education and contact (Corrigan & Penn, 1999). However, to date only two such strategies have garnered empirical support: contact and education. In relation to mental illness, education strategies have received limited support (Holmes et al., 1999; see Luty et al., 2007 for an exception). In contrast, contact-based interventions yield the most dramatic changes in attitudes and behaviors; contact involving media depictions have also been demonstrated to yield positive attitude change. Comparing traditional diagnosis-centered teaching about mental illness to a humanizing approach that required students to write a first-person narrative about suffering from a mental illness, Mann and Himelein (2008) found that attitudes changed only when students were required to adopt the perspective of a mentally ill individual. In their recent meta-analysis, Pettigrew and Tropp (2006) demonstrated that contact reduces prejudice and is particularly effective when it occurs under favorable conditions (e.g., conditions of equality, cooperation, and institutional support). While a wealth of research has supported the contact hypothesis related to changing negative attitudes toward ethnic minorities, the mentally ill, the homeless, gays/lesbians and other stigmatized groups, there have been a limited number of studies evaluating associations between contact and attitudes toward the TG community (Harvey, 2002; Hill & Willoughby, 2005) and no controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy of such methods.
The current study extends work evaluating anti-stigma interventions to the TG community and seeks to evaluate whether attitude change will differ between participants receiving basic education about the transgender community and those who are educated about TG through media depictions of TG families and are asked to engage in a perspective-taking task. We hypothesize that participants in the humanizing condition who view a documentary and write a first-person narrative of transgender experiences will show a more significant change in transphobia, genderist attitudes and desire for social distance across time relative to participants in the education-only condition signaling less stigmatized and prejudicial attitudes at post-test.
Hodson (2011) recently examined the existing contact literature and found that, consistent with Pettigrew’s (1998) focus on individual differences, intergroup contact was effective (and perhaps even more effective) among individuals who were intolerant and cognitively rigid. Religious fundamentalism has been associated with anti-homosexual sentiment (Fulton et al., 1999). Whether religiosity is similarly associated with negative attitudes toward TG individuals will be explored. Whether religiosity and prior contact with the LGBTQ community will moderate intervention outcomes will also be explored.
Recommended Citation
Hillman, Kimberly and Ordoubadi, Fatemah, "Reducing Stigma toward the Transgender Community: An Evaluation of a Humanizing and Perspective-Taking Intervention" (2012). Humanities and Creative Projects. Event. Submission 4.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/studsymp_cr/2012/all/4
Reducing Stigma toward the Transgender Community: An Evaluation of a Humanizing and Perspective-Taking Intervention
Jereld R. Nicholson Library
Transgender (TG) individuals, or those whose gender identities, expressions and/or behaviors differ from their biological sex (Kirk & Kulkarni, 2006) feel there is a pervasive pattern of discrimination and prejudice directed toward them (Lombardi et al., 2001). In comparison to their heterosexual peers, LGBT youth and emerging adults are at increased risk for a host of adverse outcomes including: suicide, depression, harassment, and victimization (IOM, 2011).
Stigma has been characterized as encompassing several components: labeling, making an association between the label and a negative stereotype, separating those who are different as an “out-group” and discriminating. In a recent analysis of the transgender experience, Hill (2002) described three key constructs that can be used to understand negative emotions and behaviors toward transgender individuals: transphobia – an emotional disgust toward gender non-conforming individuals; genderism – a belief that gender non-conforming individuals are pathological or disordered; gender bashing – assault or harassment of gender non-conforming individuals.
Recent work on minority stress posits a distal-proximal model of stress in which a person identifies with and makes proximal, distal social attitudes that can have negative effects on their psychological well-being (Meyer, 2003). Thus, stigmatized attitudes and behaviors not only have the potential to contribute to violence or discriminatory behavior but also have a direct impact on the psychological health of the target individual. Thus, the question of how to change negative attitudes and behaviors toward TG individuals is paramount.
Researchers have sought to develop interventions aimed at reducing stigma with three basic strategies identified: protest, education and contact (Corrigan & Penn, 1999). However, to date only two such strategies have garnered empirical support: contact and education. In relation to mental illness, education strategies have received limited support (Holmes et al., 1999; see Luty et al., 2007 for an exception). In contrast, contact-based interventions yield the most dramatic changes in attitudes and behaviors; contact involving media depictions have also been demonstrated to yield positive attitude change. Comparing traditional diagnosis-centered teaching about mental illness to a humanizing approach that required students to write a first-person narrative about suffering from a mental illness, Mann and Himelein (2008) found that attitudes changed only when students were required to adopt the perspective of a mentally ill individual. In their recent meta-analysis, Pettigrew and Tropp (2006) demonstrated that contact reduces prejudice and is particularly effective when it occurs under favorable conditions (e.g., conditions of equality, cooperation, and institutional support). While a wealth of research has supported the contact hypothesis related to changing negative attitudes toward ethnic minorities, the mentally ill, the homeless, gays/lesbians and other stigmatized groups, there have been a limited number of studies evaluating associations between contact and attitudes toward the TG community (Harvey, 2002; Hill & Willoughby, 2005) and no controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy of such methods.
The current study extends work evaluating anti-stigma interventions to the TG community and seeks to evaluate whether attitude change will differ between participants receiving basic education about the transgender community and those who are educated about TG through media depictions of TG families and are asked to engage in a perspective-taking task. We hypothesize that participants in the humanizing condition who view a documentary and write a first-person narrative of transgender experiences will show a more significant change in transphobia, genderist attitudes and desire for social distance across time relative to participants in the education-only condition signaling less stigmatized and prejudicial attitudes at post-test.
Hodson (2011) recently examined the existing contact literature and found that, consistent with Pettigrew’s (1998) focus on individual differences, intergroup contact was effective (and perhaps even more effective) among individuals who were intolerant and cognitively rigid. Religious fundamentalism has been associated with anti-homosexual sentiment (Fulton et al., 1999). Whether religiosity is similarly associated with negative attitudes toward TG individuals will be explored. Whether religiosity and prior contact with the LGBTQ community will moderate intervention outcomes will also be explored.
Comments
Presenter: Kimberly Hillman
This research was also presented at the 14th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence in Vancouver, British Columbia.
For an updated version of this research, please refer to Reducing Stigma toward the Transgender Community: An Evaluation of a Humanizing and Perspective-Taking Intervention.