Masculine Gender Role Conflict and Negative Feelings about Being Gay.

Professional psychologists who work with gay men have noted that traditional masculine ideals play a prominent role in the gay community whereby some endorse these traditional ideals and stigmatize effeminate behavior by other gay men. One hypothesis is that this behavior reflects negative feelings about being gay. This article examined this hypothesis by reporting the results of an online survey of 622 self-identified gay men. Participants completed the Gender Role Conflict Scale, Lesbian and Gay Identity Scale, the Social Desirability Scale, and questions related to the importance of masculinity. Results showed that most participants valued the public appearance of masculinity; and they ideally wished to be more masculine than they felt they were (Cohen's d = 0.42). A multiple regression analysis showed that the degree to which they valued masculinity and were concerned with violating masculine ideals was positively related with negative feelings about being gay (Cohen's f(2) = .67). These findings highlight the importance of exploring the role that masculine ideals play in gay client's lives given that negative feelings about oneself can adversely affect psychological well-being.

Perceptions concerning college student suicide: data from four universities.

The issue of suicide, including prevention, intervention, and postvention, continues to be a problem on college campuses. For this study, data concerning a variety of issues related to college student suicide were collected from 1,865 students at four different universities. Incidence, risk factors, and potential solutions are described, as well as implications for mental health professionals in university settings.

Meriwether Lewis: was it suicide?

Even 200 years following the conclusion of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, questions remain about whether Meriwether Lewis' death was a suicide. The purpose of this article is to consider this issue by examining historical evidence from a psychological perspective. A risk factor model for suicide assessment (Sanchez, 2001) is employed to evaluate the nature of Lewis' historical, personal, psychosocial environmental, and clinical risk factors as well as protective factors. The authors conclude that though there is some evidence to support a theory of murder, Lewis was at a high suicide risk at the time of his death, and that the preponderance of the evidence indicates that he died by his own hand.

College student suicide: a call to action.

This article examines current issues related to the topic of college student suicide and why it continues to be an issue of major concern. The nature/extent of the problem, risk and protective factors, responses to college student suicide, legal issues, and training issues are discussed. The importance of addressing the issue of college student suicide and its prevention on college campuses is emphasized as is the importance of protective factors. Although more is being done to address this issue than has been done in the past, it remains a major concern, and it is an issue that requires a strong national response.