"Test run or one and done": Gender differences in lgbtq+ hookup experiences

This dissertation explores queer individuals' participation within hookup culture, the goals and motivations of those taking part in queer hookup encounters, and the ways queer individuals make sense of their hookup experiences. I analyze data from 24 semi-structured qualitative in-person and online interviews to examine LGBTQ+-identified individuals' experiences with queer hookup encounters. This dissertation offers several major contributions to the scholarship of LGBTQ+ hookup experiences. First, I find that participants talk about three discrete levels of intimacy: noncommittal hookups, "catching feelings," and third, "real relationships" or emotional connections. Second, both men and women define hookups as noncommittal sexual encounters, but in practice many are worried about or have already caught feelings. Men and women were also similar in viewing LGBTQ+ hookups as distinct from heterosexual hookups. For example, most participants note that it is more difficult for them to find hookup partners on campus. Third, I also find gender differences among by LGBTQ+ participants. Most men did not talk about forging romantic relationship out of their hookups, whereas women are more likely to discuss moving from hookup encounters to relationships. Men also talk about their partners' physical aesthetics, whereas women are more likely to value an emotional connection and are less likely to discuss their partners' physical attributes. Finally, women are more likely to discuss difficulty in knowing how and when to initiate hookups with other women. The second part of this dissertation focuses on participants' experience with hookups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few have yet to explore LGBTQ+ hookup culture through a pandemic-focused lens. I examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has restructured dating and hookup experiences among LGBTQ+-identified college students. I find that sexual minority college students have begun to shift the type of connections they make on dating and hookup apps. These connections are less centered on sexual encounters and now focus on building relationships online that may not lead to a hookup or sexual experience. These findings suggest that dating apps have become a way for individuals to form social connections as opposed to merely a vehicle for organizing hookup encounters. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Navigating Political Tensions over Schooling: Findings from the Fall 2022 American School District Panel Survey

Public schooling has always been politically fraught, but current disagreements over issues related to race, sexuality, gender, and COVID-19 have reached a tipping point. According to this report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education and RAND, half of school system leaders say that these disagreements are disrupting schooling. Almost one in three district leaders also said their educators had received verbal or written threats about politically controversial topics since fall 2021. The findings come from surveys issued to 300 district and charter network leaders and interviews with superintendents. Their responses shed light on how political polarization has affected classrooms and how districts are responding. This report presents results from the fall 2022 survey of the American School District Panel (ASDP). The ASDP is a research partnership between RAND and CRPE. The panel also collaborates with several other education organizations, including the Council of the Great City Schools and Kitamba, to help improve outcomes for students throughout the United States.

Religion and sexual identities.

Religion and sexuality have a complex, deep-rooted relationship. Religions often teach how aspects of sexuality should be conducted, typically promoting heterosexuality. Such discourse is at odds with a growing population using sexual minority identities. The tension between one's homonegative faith or religious environment and their sexual minority orientation can lead to poor health outcomes like psychological distress and suicidal ideation. Attempts to change sexual orientation to match religious expectations are futile and frequently harmful. However, sexual minority individuals can find health benefits if they are able to reconcile their religious and sexual identities or find accepting religious/spiritual communities. The COVID-19 pandemic and religious influence on US politics have also shaped the safety of environments for disclosing a sexual minority identity.

Not All Homes Are Safe: Family Violence Following the Onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Evidence from victim service providers suggests the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in family violence. However, empirical evidence has been limited. This study uses novel survey data to investigate the occurrence of family violence during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Data come from the second wave of the Assessing the Social Consequences of COVID-19 study, an online non-probability sample collected in April and May 2020. Family violence is measured using four variables: any violence, physical violence, verbal abuse, and restricted access. The authors use logistic regression and KHB decomposition to examine the prevalence of family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that sexual minorities, in particular bisexual people, experienced higher rates of family violence than heterosexual respondents. Women were the only group to report an increase in the frequency of family violence. Household income loss is associated with the incidence of verbal violence. Our findings demonstrate the importance of expanding victim services to address the additional barriers victims face within the pandemic context and beyond, including broad contexts of social isolation and financial precarity experienced by individuals at risk of family violence.

"Test run or one and done": Gender differences in lgbtq+ hookup experiences

This dissertation explores queer individuals' participation within hookup culture, the goals and motivations of those taking part in queer hookup encounters, and the ways queer individuals make sense of their hookup experiences. I analyze data from 24 semi-structured qualitative in-person and online interviews to examine LGBTQ+-identified individuals' experiences with queer hookup encounters. This dissertation offers several major contributions to the scholarship of LGBTQ+ hookup experiences. First, I find that participants talk about three discrete levels of intimacy: noncommittal hookups, "catching feelings," and third, "real relationships" or emotional connections. Second, both men and women define hookups as noncommittal sexual encounters, but in practice many are worried about or have already caught feelings. Men and women were also similar in viewing LGBTQ+ hookups as distinct from heterosexual hookups. For example, most participants note that it is more difficult for them to find hookup partners on campus. Third, I also find gender differences among by LGBTQ+ participants. Most men did not talk about forging romantic relationship out of their hookups, whereas women are more likely to discuss moving from hookup encounters to relationships. Men also talk about their partners' physical aesthetics, whereas women are more likely to value an emotional connection and are less likely to discuss their partners' physical attributes. Finally, women are more likely to discuss difficulty in knowing how and when to initiate hookups with other women. The second part of this dissertation focuses on participants' experience with hookups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few have yet to explore LGBTQ+ hookup culture through a pandemic-focused lens. I examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has restructured dating and hookup experiences among LGBTQ+-identified college students. I find that sexual minority college students have begun to shift the type of connections they make on dating and hookup apps. These connections are less centered on sexual encounters and now focus on building relationships online that may not lead to a hookup or sexual experience. These findings suggest that dating apps have become a way for individuals to form social connections as opposed to merely a vehicle for organizing hookup encounters. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Kratom use categories and their associations with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Kratom, a psychoactive substance, use is an evolving research area that needs more studies to augment the limited literature. Our study examines the association between kratom use categories and mental health and substance use disorders in the U.S. METHODS: We used the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data (N = 32,893), a cross-sectional survey data, on the U.S. population aged 12 years or older. We used STATA/SE version 16 to perform a multinomial logistic regression analysis to assess our study aims. RESULTS: Bisexuals, compared to heterosexuals, had higher risks of kratom use within the past 30 days (relative risk ratio [RRR]= 2.47, 95% CI= 1.07, 5.71). Major depressive episode was positively associated with kratom use more than 30 days ago (RRR= 2.04, 95% CI= 1.24, 3.34). This association was also observed for mild (RRR= 2.04, 95% CI= 1.38, 3.02), moderate (RRR= 2.25, 95% CI= 1.13, 4.51), or severe alcohol use disorder (RRR= 1.88, 95% CI= 1.05, 3.36); and mild (RRR= 1.98, 95% CI= 1.27, 3.11), moderate (RRR= 2.38, 95% CI= 1.27, 4.45), or severe marijuana use disorder (RRR= 2.13, 95% CI= 1.02, 4.47). Illicit drug other than marijuana use disorder was associated positively with kratom use more than 30 days ago (RRR= 2.81, 95% CI= 1.85, 4.26) and kratom use within the past 30 days (RRR= 5.48, 95% CI= 1.50, 20.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that identifying as bisexual, experiencing depression, alcohol use disorder, or illicit drug use disorder increased the risks of kratom use. There is a need to consider mental health and substance use disorders and sexual identity in kratom use interventions and policies geared toward reducing or preventing kratom use.

Reimagining Character Formation in the Christian University in Challenging Times

Changes in the demographic profile of students attending Christian universities combine with shifts in the culture at large to present new challenges to Christian higher educators who have the character formation of students as an aim. The pandemic will bring other challenges. In uncertain times, Christian universities aiming at character formation must, first, clarify and focus on their mission and must, second, work intentionally to create a campus climate supportive of character development. A Christian university wanting a climate that fosters character makes these seven efforts (among others): to build relationships and community, to build trust, to welcome dialogue on difficult issues, to consider the built environment, to go slow, to recognize the diversity of learners, to attend to its language. Uncertain times and their concomitant challenges present new opportunities for Christian universities to reimagine character formation.

Suicidal ideation among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Identifying at-risk subgroups.

Given concerns of increased suicide risk among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined rates of lifetime and past-year suicidal ideation (SI) among university students in Fall 2020 (vs. two earlier semesters), overall and across gender, racial/ethnic background, and sexual identity. Participants included 1700 university students enrolled in a general education psychology course in Fall 2020, Fall 2014, or Fall 2013. Rates of SI were not significantly higher in Fall 2020 versus the earlier semesters and did not differ across racial/ethnic background. However, rates of SI in Fall 2020 were significantly higher among sexual minority than heterosexual students.