Http Dx Doi Org 10 1300 J082v51n01_05, Oct 17, 2008
Sex researchers and mental health clinicians have long recognized that the stigma surrounding hom... more Sex researchers and mental health clinicians have long recognized that the stigma surrounding homosexuality plays an important role in shaping the social psychological adjustment of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (g/l/b) people. In recent years, researchers have suggested that sexual identity- related distress may influence the physical health status of g/l/b people, primarily because of the ways these self-related feelings and beliefs impact patterns of health-related behavior. This study examines the influence of sexual identity distress and social support on g/l/b youth's drug and alcohol use, psychological distress, and risky sexual behavior. The data come from a services research demonstration program conducted at the Indiana Youth Group, Inc., a g/l/b youth development agency based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Results indicate that sexual identity distress is strongly associated with psychological distress, less frequent use of alcohol, and using fewer types of illegal drugs. Being out to more people in one's support network, however, attenuates the severity of youth's sexual identity-related distress. Youth who report more support ties to g/l/b people indicate engaging in more frequent risky sexual behavior. The implications of these findings for theories of g/l/b youth's sexual identity development are discussed.
Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report To Err is Human (1999), heal... more Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report To Err is Human (1999), health care industry leaders and policymakers have emphasized the central importance of improving the quality of care and reducing the number of medical errors. More recently, various health information technologies (HIT) have been identified by many as essential quality improvement tools. Indeed, over the past
Page 1. COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION (CMC) technologies are transforming higher education. Stu... more Page 1. COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION (CMC) technologies are transforming higher education. Students and faculty alike are being encouraged, and sometimes even required, to embrace various types of CMC ...
This study examined relationships between timing of gay-related developmental milestones, early a... more This study examined relationships between timing of gay-related developmental milestones, early abuse, and emergence of poor health outcomes in adulthood among 1,383 gay/bisexual men in the Urban Men's Health Study. Latent Profile Analysis grouped participants as developing early, middle or late based on the achievement of four phenomena including age of first awareness of same-sex sexual attractions and disclosure of sexual orientation. Participants who developed early were more likely, compared to others, to experience forced sex and gay-related harassment before adulthood. They were more likely to be HIV seropositive and experience gay-related victimization, partner abuse and depression during adulthood. Early forced-sex, gay-related harassment and physical abuse were associated with several negative health outcomes in adulthood including HIV infection, partner abuse, and depression. This analysis suggests that the experience of homophobic attacks against young gay/bisexual male youth helps to explain heightened rates of serious health problems among adult gay men.
ABSTRACT about the management of patient sexual expression in inpatient and residential settings.... more ABSTRACT about the management of patient sexual expression in inpatient and residential settings. While researchers and practitioners have described many of the clinical challenges, surprisingly little is known about how well prepared treatment institutions are to address these situations or how they are responding. In this paper, we report fi ndings from a brief survey of directors of state psychiatric institutions in the U.S. designed to examine the institutional capacity of hospitals to respond to the complex ethical and clinical challenges in this area. Historically, the rights of persons in institutions have not been enforced (Perlin, 1997). It was not until 1971 in Wyatt v. Stickney that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama declared that involuntarily committed patients had a "constitutional right to receive such individual treatment as will give each of them a realistic opportunity to be cured or to improve his or her mental condition" (Wyatt v. Stickney, 1972). Following this declaration, the court found it necessary to clarify what "minimal constitutional standards" would mean for covered hospitals aft er the declaration failed to produce the intended results. In this clarifi cation, the court ordered that "[t]he institution shall provide, with adequate supervision, suitable opportunities for the patient's interaction with members of the opposite sex" (Ibid). While the court does not clarify exactly what this means, it is clear that the court anticipates the possibility of sexual interactions.
Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2015
Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are proving to be valuable resources in fighting th... more Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are proving to be valuable resources in fighting the prescription drug abuse epidemic through improved access to patient drug histories. Ninety-four percent of Indiana pharmacists have heard of Indiana's PDMP (INSPECT), only 71% of them reported using the program in 2012. To identify barriers to PDMP use in outpatient pharmacies and determine the impact these barriers have on utilization. A cross-sectional study examined pharmacists' knowledge and use of INSPECT. Bivariate analyses on utilization and perceived barriers were conducted using cross-tabulations and chi-squared tests. Multiple logistic regression examined the relationship between pharmacists' level of concern with prescription drug abuse and reported utilization. Pharmacists were significantly less likely to use INSPECT if they reported at least one barrier and 3 times more likely to use INSPECT if they reported no barrier. Pharmacists were 10 times more likely to use INSPECT and 18 times more likely to use it more consistently if they were extremely concerned about prescription drug abuse in their community as compared to those not at all concerned. Strategies to improve utilization of PDMPs should look for innovative ways to limit barriers and build outpatient pharmacists' awareness of prescription drug abuse and misuse within their community.
Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP, Jan 6, 2015
Pharmacists have shared responsibility to investigate the validity of controlled substance prescr... more Pharmacists have shared responsibility to investigate the validity of controlled substance prescriptions (CSPs) that raise concerns, or red flags, and subsequently exercise their right to refuse to dispense a CSP if its validity cannot be verified. Improving access to clinical practice tools, such as prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), may increase availability of a patient's drug history, which is critical to making informed clinical decisions about dispensing CSPs. The purpose of this study was to examine how integration and consistent use of a PDMP in pharmacy practice impacts pharmacists' dispensing practices related to CSPs. A cross-sectional study examined pharmacists' knowledge and use of Indiana's (US State) PDMP (INSPECT) and dispensing practices of CSPs. Three outcome measures were analyzed using multiple logistic regression so as to examine the relationship between PDMP use and pharmacists' controlled substance dispensing behaviors. Pharmaci...
Background: Substance abuse and addiction have a profound impact on all sectors of society. They ... more Background: Substance abuse and addiction have a profound impact on all sectors of society. They are major contributors to a wide range of health and social problems, including domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, crime, chronic health problems, increased mortality, higher healthcare costs, and lost productivity. The real economic impact of substance abuse is difficult to quantify empirically because there are both direct and indirect consequences. Methods: In 2009, CASA released a study that measured the financial burden of substance abuse/addiction on both the nation and individual states. Since Indiana did not participate in the study, and an estimate of costs attributable to substance abuse is critical in guiding prevention planning, the State Epidemiology and Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) decided to replicate CASA's methodology and assess Indiana's expenditures related to alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse. We (SEOW) followed CASA's methodology whenever possible an...
Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the ... more Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the United States. Particularly, pain relievers (opioids) have a high potential for misuse and abuse. Indiana's past-year prevalence rate for nonmedical opioid use (6.04%; 95% CI: 4.96-7.33) surpassed the nation's rate (4.89%). In 2008, over 6.1 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to Indiana residents, representing a per capita rate of 0.96 (county-level rates ranged from 0.45 to 1.75); nonmedical use of prescription opioids was reported in 3,762 treatment episodes, representing a rate of 0.59 per 1,000 residents (county-level rates ranged from 0.06 to 1.99). Research indicates that substance use may be linked to drug availability and social-environmental characteristics of the community. Methods: To assess the relationship between social disadvantage, availability of prescription opioids, and abuse thereof, the Indiana SEOW examined population characteristics from the Americ...
Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the ... more Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the United States. Particularly, pain relievers (opioids) have a high potential for abuse. Indiana's past-year prevalence rate for nonmedical pain reliever use was highest among young adults ages 18 to 25 (14.4%; 95% CI: 11.9-17.3) and surpassed the nation's rate (10.4%; 95% CI: 10.0-10.8). Research indicates that substance use may be linked to drug availability and social-environmental characteristics of the community. Methods: An ecological study to assess the impact of opioid availability and demographic characteristics on pain reliever abuse in Indiana was conducted; the county-level served as unit of analysis. We examined census information on gender, race, and age; INSPECT data (Indiana's prescription drug monitoring program) on the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed; and the Treatment Episode Data Set for prescription opioid abuse reported at treatment admission. Res...
ABSTRACT Network researchers have been concerned with evaluating the accuracy of individuals&... more ABSTRACT Network researchers have been concerned with evaluating the accuracy of individuals' descriptions of their personal networks for many years. This paper examines the problem of “forgetfulness” and the extent to which it influences the measurement of ego-centric or personal social networks over time. The data come from the Indianapolis Network Mental Health Study (INMHS), a longitudinal study of the social networks of a cohort of individuals newly diagnosed with mental health problems. We focus on 114 people who completed two or more waves of the INMHS and explore the frequency that names mentioned in prior waves were forgotten. The results indicate that the membership of the respondents' networks changed significantly over the three waves; however, less than 5% of the observed change was due to respondents forgetting ties mentioned in prior waves. The vast majority of changes observed in their networks reflected “true” change in the composition of the respondents' social networks. Overall, the results suggest that people with mental health problems can provide descriptions of the changes in their social networks that are reliable and relatively free of recall bias. The implications of these findings for measuring personal networks over time are discussed.
Objective: Limited research has focused on sexuality for those diagnosed with a severe mental ill... more Objective: Limited research has focused on sexuality for those diagnosed with a severe mental illness. We aimed to extend existing work by exploring relationships between mastery (perception of control of one's life and future), sexual self-esteem (perceptions of one's capacity to engage in healthy sexual behavior), sexual attitudes (permissive ideas about sexuality), and perceived importance of relationships/sexuality and number of sexual partners. Method: A secondary analysis of survey data from adult participants living with a severe mental illness (N = 401) in the Indiana Mental Health Services and HIV-Risk Study (Perry & Wright, 2006) was conducted. Analysis of covariance (controlling for marital status) compared those with 0 partners, 1 partner, or multiple partners over the past 3 months on the dependent variables of mastery, sexual self-esteem, sexual attitudes, and perceived importance. Results: Participants with more permissive attitudes, greater perceived importance, and higher mastery were more likely to be sexually active with multiple partners. Self-esteem did not differentiate groups. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Given the key role of sexual satisfaction in quality of life and the high rates of sexual risk behavior in this population, it is important that clinicians systematically assess mastery, perceived importance, and attitudes about sexuality when working with consumers diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Individually tailoring existing interventions on the basis of consumers' levels of mastery, related to self-efficacy for implementing changes in life, could improve long-term outcomes for these programs. Future research should examine other constructs that may account for more variance in sexual activity, such as perceptions of risk, intentions for sexual safety, or romantic relationship functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the emergence of recovery as an organizing construct within th... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the emergence of recovery as an organizing construct within the mental health system and consider how it is changing mental health policy and practice, particularly as it relates to the treatment of people with “serious mental illness.” Recovery is most simply understood as the belief that people with mental health problems can “get better.” While this general idea is not new, it is currently a contested construct within the mental health field. We highlight several competing definitions of recovery and examine how these ideas have been incorporated into contemporary treatment modalities. We conclude with a discussion of how sociologists can contribute to a better understanding of the sociological dimensions of recovery and how a “sociology of recovery” might contribute to a more comprehensive and robust sociology of mental health and illness.
... Sheridan, Kathleen and Edward P. Sheridan 1988 "Psychological consultation to persons wi... more ... Sheridan, Kathleen and Edward P. Sheridan 1988 "Psychological consultation to persons with AIDS." Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 19(5): 532535. Shuff, I. Michael andDouglas E. Greiner 1993 HIV AIDS Attitude and Knowledge Change Among Mental ...
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1300 J082v51n01_05, Oct 17, 2008
Sex researchers and mental health clinicians have long recognized that the stigma surrounding hom... more Sex researchers and mental health clinicians have long recognized that the stigma surrounding homosexuality plays an important role in shaping the social psychological adjustment of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (g/l/b) people. In recent years, researchers have suggested that sexual identity- related distress may influence the physical health status of g/l/b people, primarily because of the ways these self-related feelings and beliefs impact patterns of health-related behavior. This study examines the influence of sexual identity distress and social support on g/l/b youth's drug and alcohol use, psychological distress, and risky sexual behavior. The data come from a services research demonstration program conducted at the Indiana Youth Group, Inc., a g/l/b youth development agency based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Results indicate that sexual identity distress is strongly associated with psychological distress, less frequent use of alcohol, and using fewer types of illegal drugs. Being out to more people in one's support network, however, attenuates the severity of youth's sexual identity-related distress. Youth who report more support ties to g/l/b people indicate engaging in more frequent risky sexual behavior. The implications of these findings for theories of g/l/b youth's sexual identity development are discussed.
Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report To Err is Human (1999), heal... more Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report To Err is Human (1999), health care industry leaders and policymakers have emphasized the central importance of improving the quality of care and reducing the number of medical errors. More recently, various health information technologies (HIT) have been identified by many as essential quality improvement tools. Indeed, over the past
Page 1. COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION (CMC) technologies are transforming higher education. Stu... more Page 1. COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION (CMC) technologies are transforming higher education. Students and faculty alike are being encouraged, and sometimes even required, to embrace various types of CMC ...
This study examined relationships between timing of gay-related developmental milestones, early a... more This study examined relationships between timing of gay-related developmental milestones, early abuse, and emergence of poor health outcomes in adulthood among 1,383 gay/bisexual men in the Urban Men's Health Study. Latent Profile Analysis grouped participants as developing early, middle or late based on the achievement of four phenomena including age of first awareness of same-sex sexual attractions and disclosure of sexual orientation. Participants who developed early were more likely, compared to others, to experience forced sex and gay-related harassment before adulthood. They were more likely to be HIV seropositive and experience gay-related victimization, partner abuse and depression during adulthood. Early forced-sex, gay-related harassment and physical abuse were associated with several negative health outcomes in adulthood including HIV infection, partner abuse, and depression. This analysis suggests that the experience of homophobic attacks against young gay/bisexual male youth helps to explain heightened rates of serious health problems among adult gay men.
ABSTRACT about the management of patient sexual expression in inpatient and residential settings.... more ABSTRACT about the management of patient sexual expression in inpatient and residential settings. While researchers and practitioners have described many of the clinical challenges, surprisingly little is known about how well prepared treatment institutions are to address these situations or how they are responding. In this paper, we report fi ndings from a brief survey of directors of state psychiatric institutions in the U.S. designed to examine the institutional capacity of hospitals to respond to the complex ethical and clinical challenges in this area. Historically, the rights of persons in institutions have not been enforced (Perlin, 1997). It was not until 1971 in Wyatt v. Stickney that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama declared that involuntarily committed patients had a "constitutional right to receive such individual treatment as will give each of them a realistic opportunity to be cured or to improve his or her mental condition" (Wyatt v. Stickney, 1972). Following this declaration, the court found it necessary to clarify what "minimal constitutional standards" would mean for covered hospitals aft er the declaration failed to produce the intended results. In this clarifi cation, the court ordered that "[t]he institution shall provide, with adequate supervision, suitable opportunities for the patient's interaction with members of the opposite sex" (Ibid). While the court does not clarify exactly what this means, it is clear that the court anticipates the possibility of sexual interactions.
Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2015
Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are proving to be valuable resources in fighting th... more Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are proving to be valuable resources in fighting the prescription drug abuse epidemic through improved access to patient drug histories. Ninety-four percent of Indiana pharmacists have heard of Indiana's PDMP (INSPECT), only 71% of them reported using the program in 2012. To identify barriers to PDMP use in outpatient pharmacies and determine the impact these barriers have on utilization. A cross-sectional study examined pharmacists' knowledge and use of INSPECT. Bivariate analyses on utilization and perceived barriers were conducted using cross-tabulations and chi-squared tests. Multiple logistic regression examined the relationship between pharmacists' level of concern with prescription drug abuse and reported utilization. Pharmacists were significantly less likely to use INSPECT if they reported at least one barrier and 3 times more likely to use INSPECT if they reported no barrier. Pharmacists were 10 times more likely to use INSPECT and 18 times more likely to use it more consistently if they were extremely concerned about prescription drug abuse in their community as compared to those not at all concerned. Strategies to improve utilization of PDMPs should look for innovative ways to limit barriers and build outpatient pharmacists' awareness of prescription drug abuse and misuse within their community.
Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP, Jan 6, 2015
Pharmacists have shared responsibility to investigate the validity of controlled substance prescr... more Pharmacists have shared responsibility to investigate the validity of controlled substance prescriptions (CSPs) that raise concerns, or red flags, and subsequently exercise their right to refuse to dispense a CSP if its validity cannot be verified. Improving access to clinical practice tools, such as prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), may increase availability of a patient's drug history, which is critical to making informed clinical decisions about dispensing CSPs. The purpose of this study was to examine how integration and consistent use of a PDMP in pharmacy practice impacts pharmacists' dispensing practices related to CSPs. A cross-sectional study examined pharmacists' knowledge and use of Indiana's (US State) PDMP (INSPECT) and dispensing practices of CSPs. Three outcome measures were analyzed using multiple logistic regression so as to examine the relationship between PDMP use and pharmacists' controlled substance dispensing behaviors. Pharmaci...
Background: Substance abuse and addiction have a profound impact on all sectors of society. They ... more Background: Substance abuse and addiction have a profound impact on all sectors of society. They are major contributors to a wide range of health and social problems, including domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, crime, chronic health problems, increased mortality, higher healthcare costs, and lost productivity. The real economic impact of substance abuse is difficult to quantify empirically because there are both direct and indirect consequences. Methods: In 2009, CASA released a study that measured the financial burden of substance abuse/addiction on both the nation and individual states. Since Indiana did not participate in the study, and an estimate of costs attributable to substance abuse is critical in guiding prevention planning, the State Epidemiology and Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) decided to replicate CASA's methodology and assess Indiana's expenditures related to alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse. We (SEOW) followed CASA's methodology whenever possible an...
Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the ... more Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the United States. Particularly, pain relievers (opioids) have a high potential for misuse and abuse. Indiana's past-year prevalence rate for nonmedical opioid use (6.04%; 95% CI: 4.96-7.33) surpassed the nation's rate (4.89%). In 2008, over 6.1 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to Indiana residents, representing a per capita rate of 0.96 (county-level rates ranged from 0.45 to 1.75); nonmedical use of prescription opioids was reported in 3,762 treatment episodes, representing a rate of 0.59 per 1,000 residents (county-level rates ranged from 0.06 to 1.99). Research indicates that substance use may be linked to drug availability and social-environmental characteristics of the community. Methods: To assess the relationship between social disadvantage, availability of prescription opioids, and abuse thereof, the Indiana SEOW examined population characteristics from the Americ...
Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the ... more Background: Nonmedical prescription drug use has become an emerging public health problem in the United States. Particularly, pain relievers (opioids) have a high potential for abuse. Indiana's past-year prevalence rate for nonmedical pain reliever use was highest among young adults ages 18 to 25 (14.4%; 95% CI: 11.9-17.3) and surpassed the nation's rate (10.4%; 95% CI: 10.0-10.8). Research indicates that substance use may be linked to drug availability and social-environmental characteristics of the community. Methods: An ecological study to assess the impact of opioid availability and demographic characteristics on pain reliever abuse in Indiana was conducted; the county-level served as unit of analysis. We examined census information on gender, race, and age; INSPECT data (Indiana's prescription drug monitoring program) on the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed; and the Treatment Episode Data Set for prescription opioid abuse reported at treatment admission. Res...
ABSTRACT Network researchers have been concerned with evaluating the accuracy of individuals&... more ABSTRACT Network researchers have been concerned with evaluating the accuracy of individuals' descriptions of their personal networks for many years. This paper examines the problem of “forgetfulness” and the extent to which it influences the measurement of ego-centric or personal social networks over time. The data come from the Indianapolis Network Mental Health Study (INMHS), a longitudinal study of the social networks of a cohort of individuals newly diagnosed with mental health problems. We focus on 114 people who completed two or more waves of the INMHS and explore the frequency that names mentioned in prior waves were forgotten. The results indicate that the membership of the respondents' networks changed significantly over the three waves; however, less than 5% of the observed change was due to respondents forgetting ties mentioned in prior waves. The vast majority of changes observed in their networks reflected “true” change in the composition of the respondents' social networks. Overall, the results suggest that people with mental health problems can provide descriptions of the changes in their social networks that are reliable and relatively free of recall bias. The implications of these findings for measuring personal networks over time are discussed.
Objective: Limited research has focused on sexuality for those diagnosed with a severe mental ill... more Objective: Limited research has focused on sexuality for those diagnosed with a severe mental illness. We aimed to extend existing work by exploring relationships between mastery (perception of control of one's life and future), sexual self-esteem (perceptions of one's capacity to engage in healthy sexual behavior), sexual attitudes (permissive ideas about sexuality), and perceived importance of relationships/sexuality and number of sexual partners. Method: A secondary analysis of survey data from adult participants living with a severe mental illness (N = 401) in the Indiana Mental Health Services and HIV-Risk Study (Perry & Wright, 2006) was conducted. Analysis of covariance (controlling for marital status) compared those with 0 partners, 1 partner, or multiple partners over the past 3 months on the dependent variables of mastery, sexual self-esteem, sexual attitudes, and perceived importance. Results: Participants with more permissive attitudes, greater perceived importance, and higher mastery were more likely to be sexually active with multiple partners. Self-esteem did not differentiate groups. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Given the key role of sexual satisfaction in quality of life and the high rates of sexual risk behavior in this population, it is important that clinicians systematically assess mastery, perceived importance, and attitudes about sexuality when working with consumers diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Individually tailoring existing interventions on the basis of consumers' levels of mastery, related to self-efficacy for implementing changes in life, could improve long-term outcomes for these programs. Future research should examine other constructs that may account for more variance in sexual activity, such as perceptions of risk, intentions for sexual safety, or romantic relationship functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the emergence of recovery as an organizing construct within th... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the emergence of recovery as an organizing construct within the mental health system and consider how it is changing mental health policy and practice, particularly as it relates to the treatment of people with “serious mental illness.” Recovery is most simply understood as the belief that people with mental health problems can “get better.” While this general idea is not new, it is currently a contested construct within the mental health field. We highlight several competing definitions of recovery and examine how these ideas have been incorporated into contemporary treatment modalities. We conclude with a discussion of how sociologists can contribute to a better understanding of the sociological dimensions of recovery and how a “sociology of recovery” might contribute to a more comprehensive and robust sociology of mental health and illness.
... Sheridan, Kathleen and Edward P. Sheridan 1988 "Psychological consultation to persons wi... more ... Sheridan, Kathleen and Edward P. Sheridan 1988 "Psychological consultation to persons with AIDS." Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 19(5): 532535. Shuff, I. Michael andDouglas E. Greiner 1993 HIV AIDS Attitude and Knowledge Change Among Mental ...
Sociologists have long recognized the importance of spousal or intimate partner support for indiv... more Sociologists have long recognized the importance of spousal or intimate partner support for individuals' mental and physical well-being. Numerous studies, however, suggest that people with serious mental illness have considerable difficulties in finding and maintaining intimate partner relationships. Using qualitative data collected from a large sample of people with serious mental illness as part of an HIV prevention research study, this paper explores the narrative explanations of sexual isolation for the sub-sample of individuals who reported no current sexual activity (N = 261). The analysis revealed an array of eight, interrelated explanations of sexual inactivity, including poor access to sexual partners; experiencing sexual dysfunction; psychosocial difficulties forming relationships; fearing disease or pregnancy; moral and quality of relationship concerns; sexually restrictive treatment cultures and settings; everyday life with mental illness gets in the way; and feeling devalued and withdrawing from others. More generally, these findings offer empirical insights into the multiple ways through which the stigma of mental illness influences the daily lives of people, including individual experiences of social rejection, structural forms of discrimination, as well as important social-psychological processes that reshape the self and behavior.
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Papers by Eric Wright