Sexual risk taking among young LGBT individuals: examining the interplay between shame memories and fears of compassion

<p>Though there is a growing body of research concerning the impact that shame experiences can have on an individual, there is a paucity of research about what variables may mediate the relationship between central, shameful memories and resulting self-harming behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore fears of compassion as a possible mediator between shame memories and individuals' tendency to engage in risky sexual behavior, with an emphasis upon LGBT individuals, who on average are more likely to experience shaming experiences than non LGBT individuals. I predicted that fears of compassion would significantly strengthen the correlation between central shame memories and risky sexual behavior. Although the hypothesized relationships were observed, results revealed that there was no significant relationship between shame and risky sexual behavior.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS) in Psychology: Clinical

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year

2016

Author dc:creator

• Johnson, Elijah N.

• Sexual minorities--Sexual behavior
• Lesbians--Sexual behavior
• Gays--Sexual behavior
• Bisexuals--Sexual behavior
• Transgender people--Sexual behavior
• Risk-taking (Psychology)
• Shame
• Compassion
• Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• Other Psychology

Statement dc:rights

• Access is available to all users

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/398

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.ewu.edu:theses-1398