Sticks and stones (and queer jokes): Psychosocial and academic consequences of heterosexist harassment.

Heterosexist harassment (HH) includes behaviors meant to telegraph hostility or denigration of sexual minority individuals or groups; these behaviors can be experienced by anyone, regardless of sexual orientation. Most previous research has investigated more blatant types of hostility (such as physical violence or property damage), and sexual minority persons were the only respondents. This dissertation investigates non-physical, less explicit HH, consisting of both ambient hostility (such as overhearing anti-lesbian jokes), and personally directed remarks (such as being called anti-gay names). A number of studies have examined the hostile acts experienced by sexual minority persons, but only a small number have attempted to discern the personal consequences for those who encounter this harassment. No published research to date has evaluated the well-being of heterosexuals in a climate that is hostile toward sexual minority persons. A complex model attempted to capture the effects of HH on social, psychological and academic well-being; the data were from student respondents at a small public university. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze these relationships and demonstrated that the effects of HH may be more widespread and insidious than previously understood. Significant (and nearly identical) outcomes were found for both sexual minority and heterosexual students, in that their well-being was more negative as they reported more HH. Specifically, HH predicted both psychological distress and social exclusion, and social exclusion itself predicted psychological distress. Social exclusion also predicted lower academic integration, which, along with psychological distress, predicted school avoidance. School avoidance, in turn, negatively predicted grade point average. All hypothesized relationships held even after controlling for effects of academic stress. Notably, for sexual minority students, self-esteem was found to moderate the relationship between HH and psychological distress. The negative association of HH with distress was significantly lessened for those with higher self-esteem, demonstrating that a more positive self-concept may be an important buffer against personal distress when sexual minorities are faced with hostility. This dissertation culminates with a series of recommendations for interventions in higher education to make college campuses more hospitable to sexual minority persons and allies, thus improving the climate for all.Ph.D.PsychologySocial SciencesSocial psychologySocial workUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/125886/2/3224748.pd