2015 Association for Women in Psychology Conference

This workshop offers participants the opportunity to acquire substantive information and skill enhancement in the construction and instruction of the courses that seek to develop cultural competence in mental health training programs. The presenter will examine the pedagogical components that are deemed necessary for training clinicians to be competent in the delivery of psychological services to members of culturally diverse groups. Such groups include but are not exclusive to, women, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered men and women, people with disabilities, members of diverse religious groups and socioeconomic statuses, immigrants, particularly dynamics that apply to individuals who have multiple identities along these axes. The workshop will also identify challenges that instructors frequently encounter and strategies for negotiating those challenges.

This workshop is for researchers, clinicians (not necessarily trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and activists interested in how disaster response, based in EMDR Therapy, can increase community resilience by healing trauma and providing treatment to underserved populations. The Boston Area TRN (Trauma Recovery Network), a local chapter in the EMDR therapy community’s Humanitarian Assistance Programs, consists of licensed clinicians who provide pro-bono EMDR to people affected by community disasters. TRNs were born out of the EMDR community’s response to the Oklahoma City bombing, and have responded to world-wide events such as natural disasters (tornados, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and tsunamis), and violent acts (9/11, the Newtown shooting, the Boston Marathon Bombing, ongoing conflicts in Israel and Palestine, the Syrian refugees in Turkey, and others). We will review basic concepts within disaster mental health, community psychology, and EMDR therapy, and issues with conducting research in disaster mental health (Norris et al, 2006; Pfefferbaum, et al, 2012; Weine et al 2002; Call et al, 2012). We will discuss the use of EMDR as an effective intervention for disasters, and options for Early EMDR Intervention (EEI) (Shapiro and Laub, 2008; Laidlaw-Chasse and Miller, 2013). We will explore several of the issues involved in building and launching a TRN (Gelbach, 2008; Colelli et al, 2013). Using specific experiences of the Boston Area TRN’s response to the Boston Marathon bombing and chronic community violence, we will examine strategies for providing services to traditionally underserved communities, and how concepts can be redefined in non-traditional ways in the service of community change. Throughout the presentation will be attention to principles of feminism – what we as feminists know about the costs of trauma in the personal/private and public spheres – illustrated by case examples that show how disaster response interventions can improve lives from a feminist perspective.

Growing concern for the academic, social, and psychological well-being of bisexual youth has provoked a great deal of inquiry and assessment. In comparison to other sexual minority youth, bisexual youth are confronted with a unique set of challenges and stigmas in response to their sexuality. Additionally, it has been reported that they are less likely to participate in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) organizations and spaces, such as Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs, Andre et al., 2014). However, researchers have concluded that GSA’s and similar LGBTQ spaces play a beneficial role in the development and well-being of LGBTQ youth, likely because of the supportive adults advising student groups (Heck, Flentje, & Cohcran, 2013; Kosciw et al., 2013). The purpose of the present study is to investigate how individuals who participated in a GSA during their adolescence report retrospectively on their self-esteem, identity development, and coming out experiences as youth, in addition to whether they continue their involvement in queer spaces and activism as young adults. Data will be drawn from interviews with young adults (ages 18-24), who identify as bisexual, queer, or pansexual, in order to collect a retrospective account of their involvement in GSAs or a similar organization as adolescents. Those who did not participate in such spaces will also be included as our control group. A second goal of this study is to capture participants’ narratives around stigmatization and stereotyping as youth, with an emphasis on how their experiences might have differed from their sexual minority counterparts (gay and lesbian youth). Analyses of the narratives, in turn, provide a rich account of the lived experiences of bisexual young adults and their relationship to queer spaces such as GSAs and their lesbian and gay peers.

In this talk, I argue that, contrary to some arguments, rape resistance is not mutually exclusive or contradictory to other forms of prevention of rape, including bystander intervention and should be part of a restorative justice approach. While community responsibility is important, this does not and should not be artificially set up as opposed to individual empowerment (see Gavey, 2007). Feminist self-defense in particular has been shown to help women to not only avoid rape but to have better self-efficacy and psychological functioning (see Brecklin, 2008; Gidycz & Dardis, 2013 for reviews). While longitudinal studies are needed, funding is lacking in this area of research, which has been true for years, despite some evidence that self-defense is linked to a better ability to effectively resist subsequent assaults (Brecklin & Ullman, 2005). In an ecological model of prevention and response to sexual assault, many strategies and tools are needed to help us respond to sexual assault in terms of risk, recovery, and prevention. What the elements of a holistic strategy may be up for discussion, but should be based on empirical research. This presentation articulates some of the reasons for including rape resistance as one piece of secondary prevention efforts, which is still critically important in a world where sexual assault continues at high rates. The important role of addressing diversity including: race, class, sexual orientation, and disability are also discussed in broadening the paradigm for feminist research, prevention, and clinical practice in this area.

Weight-related stigma and discrimination is extremely prevalent in the United States, most commonly reported by young adults and women. The Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) suggests that following weight-related stigma, people often devalue their social identity. Individuals may be stigmatized by peers, family members, coworkers, strangers, doctors and other health care providers. Research indicates that exposure to weight stigma results in stress, avoidance of physical activity, binge eating, obesity, emotional eating and weight loss. It is possible that claims of weight loss actually measure dietary restraint in those stigmatized. As such, it is likely that those who rely on maladaptive methods of weight control (i.e. dietary restraint), have not accessed proper nutritional information; therefore cannot properly implement a balanced diet into their lives. Furthermore, individuals who binge eat, emotionally eat or actively restrain report performing these behaviors in solitude, as well as higher levels of loneliness. It is evident that prevention programs must be designed to rebuild society to reduce weight-related stigma prevalence and potential negative outcomes. As a preliminary investigation to address disordered eating risk factors that follow weight-based stigma, a cross sectional analysis is in process, in which stress, social isolation and nutritional knowledge are the mediating (intervening) variables. Undergraduate women (N=200-250, ages 18-30) from Utah State University are included in the study. Following the analysis review, I discuss an engaging prevention program that incorporates weight stigma reduction advocacy, with respect to the mediating variables. The program will be specifically designed to target incoming college students. The intervention will help rebuild university culture and assist students in developing close connections with peers to prevent social isolation. Students will also learn strategies to cope with stress and how to successfully implement nutrition education. The program aims to prevent disordered eating behaviors in response to weight-based stigma among college students.

We will present on the benefit of implementing a female empowerment group within the context of a juvenile correctional facility. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP, 2010), the number of incarcerated juveniles has been on an incline from 2000 to 2010. More specifically, the number of incarcerated girls has increased faster than the number of incarcerated boys. Though girls make up less than 7% of the inmate population in Ohio’s Department of Youth Services correctional facilities, 94% of the girls in the correctional facilities are on the mental health caseload compared to 47% of boys leading to the need for more gender-specific programs aimed at addressing socio-emotional and psychological concerns and reducing the rate of recidivism for girls (Ohio DYS, 2012). The relationship between a local juvenile corrections facility and Wright State University’s School of Professional Psychology created the opportunity for clinical practicum for students. Through working with the youth, a need was identified to address the socio-emotional and psychological concerns of the girls including self-efficacy and empowerment. Based on a literature review, the “Girls Only” Toolkit from The Boys & Girls Club of San Diego was chosen and adapted to meet the needs of the forensic population. The group was designed to help the girls recognize, value, and use their abilities to understand environmental influences, self-nurture, and make pro-social changes in themselves and the world to avoid further involvement with the juvenile justice system. Each month, outcome measures were used to inform effectiveness and potential continued use of the group. This presentation will focus on increasing participants’ knowledge of implementing the empowerment group in a juvenile corrections facility and the benefits of such treatment services.

This workshop will expose attendees to the process of developing a disability ally program at a post-secondary university and will include topics addressed, collaboration, initial data and lessons learned. We will also discuss the process of purposefully developing an “ally” program and not an “advocacy” program, as well as thoughts about the inclusion of culturally immersive experiences within programming and the stand we have decided to take on disability simulation. Although touted for being a disability-friendly institution, disability was consistently ignored or treated differently in conversations regarding the spectrum of inclusivity and cultural awareness on our campus. When others on campus were engaging in conversations around disability, it was piecemeal, fragmented and generally unsupported. We found this in the literature as even in Sue, et al.,’s descriptions of microaggressions, ability is not on the table (an oversight which they are currently amending). As information that ability microaggressions were increasing towards our students despite our efforts, we felt as though developing a disability ally program and developing an official statement on disability simulation was absolutely imperative in improving our students’ mental health by changing the environment they are a part of. In addition, we engaged in many discussions across the country where if disability programs existed, they were advocacy programs from outside of the community that appeared to fizzle when student interest waned. We developed this program based on current best practices in culturally competent programming, fusing cultural awareness, intersectionality, and social-emotional connection and would like to share the disability ally program we have piloted to assist other feminist practitioners in helping to restore justice in environments that have been harmful to us and our students. We would like to encourage others to include ability in every conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to help repair this longstanding oversight. Sue, D.W., Capodilupo, C.M., Torino, G.C., Bucceri, J.M., Holder, A.M.B., Nadal, K.L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for Clinical Practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.62.4.271

This workshop examines the significance of racism, heterosexism, and sexism in American colleges and universities and its effects on women of color faculty. By examining the stories of women of color who serve as faculty and administrators in academia, presenters and participants will analyze the effects of institutionalized American racism, heterosexism, and sexism. The presenters provide a guide to avoiding the perils and pitfalls of academia, strategies for affirming and enhancing diversity, and methods for using membership in the academy and its privileges for challenging social inequity. Presenters, who are psychologists and women of color, bring their many years of experience and learning to questions of great significance to racism, sexism, and heterosexism in academia. The formal presentation outlines frequently encountered obstacles, critical issues in the struggle and offers psychological analyses and commentary on its various aspects. Presenters will focus on the interaction of racism, sexism, and heterosexism and their effects on the careers and lives of women of color professors, their students, and associates. Bringing the personal experiences of successful, “resilient” professionals to bear on these issues, they analyze and synthesize various perspectives to offer a comprehensive look at the small numbers of women of color who find their way to the front of the university classroom, and their effects on students, the nation and themselves. Keywords: social oppression, academic discrimination, women of color

Ableism is the systemic oppression that affords privilege to people who are able-bodied and/or neurotypical while marginalizing individuals with disabilities. Much existing research on ableism focuses on individuals with “visible” disabilities; those whose disabilities are more apparent to outsiders. This study used phenomenology based qualitative interviews (Padgett, 2012) in order to examine how people with “invisible” (less apparent) physical disabilities experience ableism. Fifteen individuals ages 18 and older were interviewed (approximately 45 minutes each) regarding the participant’s disability(ies), their feelings around having disabilities that are perceived as “invisible” by others in society, and their experiences of ableism, both explicitly and through microaggressions. Questions were part of an open ended, loosely structured interview scheduling, allowing for personalization of each interview depending on the participants’ experiences. Themes that emerged via open coding and using the table-top method to reach inter-rater consensus on theming (Saldana, 2013) included policing of selves, tension in roles, desire for justice, and interestingly, internalized ableism. Many participants recounted their experiences of having their bodies and actions policed by others, including others with disabilities, challenging their actions on a regular basis. In examining their roles as someone providing education about their disabilities and having to educate on policies, needs and accommodations, several participants shared struggling with what their roles were in any given situation. The theme of desire for justice speaks to the frustration participants expressed of having to educate others, how much energy it took to provide this education, and desire for social change to provide societal education regarding ableism. The theme of internalized ableism reflects both explicit experiences of individuals sharing their self-judgment about abilities, as well as unintentional ableist statements made throughout the interviews. Given these themes, potential implications for community education, policy change and offering justice/equity will be discussed.

Policies to prevent school violence in Sweden and in the United States are different, yet alike. In the US, school violence seems to be a growing problem but in Sweden it is decreasing. Not only have the US had substantially more school shootings; they have also implemented more preventive measures to combat school violence. This paper examines how school violence is handled in Sweden and the United States. The study is based on qualitative content analysis of educational steering documents and interviews with middle and high school principals. Both in Sweden and the US, a crime perspective (that students increasingly are subjected to zero tolerance policies that are used primarily to punish, repress and exclude them), dominates how violence are treated and handled in schools. In the US students are increasingly subjected to a “crime complex” where harsh disciplinary practices by security staff increasingly replace normative functions teachers once provided both in and outside of the classroom. One obvious difference between the two countries is the emergence of a great number of federal and state laws in the US, such as the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994. Schools in the US are also increasingly turning towards alternative methods like restorative justice as a mean for creating safer schools and social equity. One main point of the paper is also that the key to violence prevention might be found in a comparison of how normalized masculinity is operating in everyday dynamics, rather than differences in policies.

Assessment is an essential area of competence for licensure as a psychologist, but presents a barrier for students with visual impairments or blindness (VI). Accommodations for testing when the examiner is the one with the VI have not been documented. We present the accommodations for several common tests and best practices.

The process of restorative justice involves healing and creating conditions for optimal well-being. Merely the presence or absence of mental illness does not accurately gauge the presence or absence of optimal health or well-being, as mental health and mental illness are posited to be along two separate continua (Keyes, 2005; Bhullar et al., 2013). While research on well-being in a psychological context has become an increasingly visible topic in the last 30 years (and has been particularly burgeoning in the positive psychology literature since 2000); Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), human diversity has received little attention. Cross-cultural differences between countries accounts for most of the studies incorporating diversity. However, well-being and resiliency in an intersectional identity context has been the focus of very few studies. Therefore, this research study examines the construct of well-being utilizing a recently developed instrument, the Multidimensional Well-being Assessment (MWA; Harrell, 2013), in an ethnically diverse lesbian sample. The preliminary study sample consists of a minimum of 32 self-identified multicultural (primarily identifying as non-Caucasian) lesbian or queer females over 18 years of age. Data analysis will include descriptive and correlational analyses to examine at five dimensions of well-being (psychological, physical, relational, collective, and transcendent) within a sample of adult lesbians of color (LOC). Descriptive statistics will present levels of well-being for the total sample, as well as across demographic variables. Correlational analysis will be performed to identify significant correlates of well-being among lesbians of color in this sample. Extant literature and resilient and risk factors for this population will be discussed. Implications for the facilitation of optimal well-being among lesbians of color will also be presented.

Despite some indications that treatment experiences have been improving (Liddle, 1999), lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) clients still receive discriminatory and inadequate treatment (Bieschke, Paul, & Blasko, 2007). Because of the continued prejudice and discrimination that LGB individuals experience, facilitation of safe and affirming therapeutic encounters is among key social actions that can be undertaken by feminist psychologists. However, little continues to be known about how LGB individuals themselves perceive their experiences of therapy, and ways that they themselves define their therapeutic encounters. This presentation will highlight results of a study regarding experiences in therapy from the perspective of LGB clients. Specifically, I focus on therapeutic dyads that represented divergent sexual orientations, although experiences in therapy with shared-orientation dyads have also been also examined. Therefore, this paper presentation will provide suggestions for facilitating effective therapeutic work with sexual minorities, regardless of the clinician’s sexual orientation. Key factors discussed in this presentation will be (1) reflections on the impact of categorical views of sexual identity, (2) the influence of heterosexism on expectations in the therapy, and (3) ways in which clients tend to assess the safety and acceptance of their practitioners. Furthermore, underlying principles of competent cross-cultural therapy with LGB clients will be shared, emphasizing the importance self-reflective work on the part of the clinician in order to provide nonjudgmental acceptance, discuss sexuality with ease, value different ways of approaching relationship, and decrease therapeutic defensiveness. This presentation will also introduce the notion of the reparative potential embedded in cross-orientation therapeutic dyads. Participants who described transformative therapeutic experiences with heterosexual therapists discussed the benefit of experiencing an accepting member of the dominant culture. This experience provided a counterbalance to internalized homophobia and a corrective emotional experience to familial rejection based on sexuality. Thus, therapeutic dyad work will be viewed as holding potential for restorative justice in the microcosm of the therapy room through witnessing and acceptance.

Based on the depth interviews with 13 heterosexual men, we studied masculine sexual subjectivity through exploring the discourses that men draw on during sex. The rationale of our study is based on the theory of “voices of the mind” of Wertsh (1991), work of Hollway (1984) and Wetherell and Edley (1999) on masculine subjectivity and discourses of masculinity employed by men while talking about sexual experiences. Our approach to studying male sexual subjectivity is based on the idea that men engage in an active process of positioning themselves as masculine and reflecting on their subjectivity during sexual experience. We also see subjectivity as constructed through the interviews that we conducted. The themes that appeared in our analysis also reflect the ways men make sense of their subjective experiences. We asked men questions relating to three descriptions of sexual experiences with another person: recent, adolescent, and troubled. The questions included one specifically on masculinity: “Did any thoughts and feelings you had during sex relate to your being a man?” The discursive themes we found are: “sex as performance,” “knowing without communicating,” “male desire is natural,” “control over the female and the sexual act,” “others in the head,” and that “intimacy is not masculine”. Of interest to women at this conference, may be insight into the way hegemonic masculinity ideals as well as the social demands of adjusting to contemporary views on gender equality produce “voices in the mind” that determine and reproduce heterosexual sex. We offer insights into how this knowledge can be used to inform social change to benefit women and men.

Sex segregation refers to the tendency for men and women to primarily associate with same-sex peers. Sex segregation is perpetuated by the homosocial norm that suggests “appropriate” friendships are same-sex friendships (Werking, 1997). Consequently, heterosexual emerging adult women have more same- than cross-sex friends (Didonato & Strough, 2013). As the majority of sex segregation research has focused on the experiences of heterosexuals, little is known about the homosocial norm and sex segregation in lesbian emerging adults. In the present study we qualitatively investigated sex segregation in 15 lesbian emerging adult women aged 20-23. Women were asked about the sex of their friends, friendship enjoyment, and preferred activities with their friends. Themes were extracted from the data using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four main themes were extracted from the data (representative quotes are in parentheses). First, women discussed having sex segregation in their friendships (“My friends are mostly female”; “I have a bunch of friends, they are obviously mostly girls”). Second, women reported feeling more comfortable with same-sex friends (“I am more outgoing around girls because they understand me better than guys”; “I feel like they (women) are easier to talk to”). Third, while women preferred same-sex friends, they also reported enjoying their cross-sex friendships (“Guys just want to chill and do things”; “Its never a stressful hang out”). Fourth, and finally, women discussed the impact that their feminist beliefs had on their friendships (“I can like see now how sexism has, like, impacted our friendships”; “Men that I am friends with are men that are incredibility vocally interested in talking about gender”). Overall, our qualitative study suggests that sex segregation exists in lesbian emerging adult women’s friendships. Similar to heterosexual emerging adults, sex segregation in lesbian emerging adult’s friendships may contribute to the socialization of gender-stereotyped attitudes and interests.

While bisexuality has been a topic of much discussion in the arena of popular culture, this orientation is seen as a controversial and often misunderstood concept (Klesse, 2011). Outside of popular culture, the topic of bisexuality is beginning to gain grounds in the research arena as well (Klein, 2014; Bostwick, 2013). Misunderstandings about bisexuality tend to revolve around relation of bisexuality to the heterosexual and lesbian/gay communities, bisexual monogamy, and the idea that bisexuality reinforces the gender binary. These misunderstandings have the potential to negatively affect not only the ways in which bisexual individuals experience support from community, family, and friends, but also the ways in which researchers and clinicians understand the plight of this minority community situated within an already marginalized community. With an understanding of these misconceptions, this panel will discuss some current trends related to research on bisexuality. Some of the current trends relate to issue surrounding bisexuality and monogamy, bisexuality, and community, and clinical concerns with bisexual clients. These trends will be addressed by members of the panel. In addressing these current research trends, this panel will attempt to provide information on the most current research available on bisexual individuals and the bisexual community. The implication of a greater understanding of bisexual issues in relation to clinical, research, educational, and advocacy implication will be discussed.

Males and females exhibit similar math and science achievement levels in K-12. Therefore, other variables are believed to play a considerable role in the continued underrepresentation of females and minorities in certain STEM career trajectories. This symposium will provide an overview and present data from three different types of studies that seek to impact attitudes about math, science, and gender stereotypes and enhance behavioral performance on STEM-related tasks. National and international data on female achievement in math and science will be reviewed. Math and science anxiety will be defined and operationalized and examples of assessment measures used in this area will be demonstrated. Gender stereotyping in STEM and the use of measures such as the Gender-Science Implicit Attitudes Test (IAT) are described. Methods for encouraging females to develop and maintain a strong math and science self-concept are explored. Data are presented from a study on pre-service teachers, suggesting that anxious attitudes about math and science and stereotypes about gender and science may be implicitly conveyed to K-12 students, impact female students more than male students, and could potentially be prevented. Outcome data are also presented on a brief mindful math intervention for female college students designed to increase math performance and decrease negative cognitions. Lastly, brief “reverse” stereotype threat interventions aimed at female, ethnic minority and low SES college students are described and discussed, with the goal of creating new and potentially quick methods for decreasing math and science anxiety and enhancing performance levels in these populations.

The study examines changes in processes of identity formation among LGBTQ millennials. Often eschewing politicized labels such as gay and lesbian, LGNTQ youth tend to rely on personal and online support for identity exploration. Research shows, however, that many secondary schools remain oppressive environments for LGBTQ youth.

Transgender women are highly marginalized in the U.S., experiencing pervasive stigma and discrimination and reporting disproportionate levels of depression, trauma, and substance abuse. The Model of Gender Affirmation provides a framework for conceptualizing health disparities among trans women of color and theorizes that the high levels of substance abuse and misuse of hormones observed among transgender women can be partly accounted for by psychiatric distress that results from social oppression and a low levels of interpersonal and internalized affirmation of their gender identity. The current study represents the first quantitative exploration of the Model of Gender Affirmation, utilizing data from a cross-sectional study of 150 adult transgender women in the San Francisco Bay Area. We examined multivariable relationships between social oppression, psychiatric distress, external and internal gender affirmation, and substance abuse using generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM). Our analysis revealed a significant direct effect of social oppression on both psychiatric distress and external gender affirmation, such that increased levels of reported social oppression led to higher levels of psychiatric distress and decreased levels of external gender affirmation. Psychiatric distress in turn had significant direct effects on internalized gender affirmation as well as the number of drugs used and the number of alcoholic drinks consumed in the past 30 days. Internalized gender affirmation was significantly associated with the number of drugs used, number of alcoholic drinks consumed, as well as hormone misuse (i.e. using more hormones than prescribed) in the past 30 days. This study provides quantitative support for the Model of Gender Affirmation in that gender affirmation processes (both internal and external) mediated the relationships between social oppression and substance misuse in this sample of transgender women. Interventions aimed at improving mental health and decreasing substance abuse among transgender women should consider strategies to increase their access to gender affirmation.

This presentation will focus on the importance of resilience among a small group of Aboriginal women "Elders" in preventing the impact of Inter-generational trauma among the Stolen Generations of Indigenous people within their community. The model they have developed can tell us a lot about the ways in which intervention can be implemented to achieve successful intervention and prevention of the consequences of trauma that is passed down through the generations.

Interpersonal trauma has a broad range of physical, social and mental health consequences, which poses a heavy and largely unrecognized burden on our healthcare, social service and criminal justice systems. Interpersonal trauma experienced in childhood has especially pernicious consequences. In this paper, we address the problem that traumatized women are vulnerable to receiving suboptimal healthcare and social services especially when they have a history of chronic traumatization, such as childhood sexual, physical or emotional abuse or neglect. To remedy this, our healthcare and social service systems must deliver trauma-informed care. Although there is a growing recognition of the need for trauma-informed care within healthcare and social services, there continues to be an under-recognition and lack of appropriate care for trauma survivors. Without the requisite knowledge, providers cannot practice in a professionally competent way and cannot provide adequate client-centered care because care needed may never be provided and "care" provided may be neither effective nor efficient. Drawing on feminist philosopher, Iris Young’s social connection model that explicates that certain suffering is socially caused, we argue that providing trauma-informed care is an ethical, socio-political and professional imperative. We also argue that trauma-informed care is a form of restorative justice by providing opportunities for women trauma survivors to receive the care they need and, in the process, have a reparative experience of validation and empowerment. While clinicians and professional bodies have a special responsibility to increase trauma recognition and response in all aspects of care for trauma survivors, we will argue that there is also a broader ethical and socio-political imperative to share this responsibility. The responsibility to ensure that trauma-informed care is provided extends beyond individual practitioners, relevant health professions and health systems to citizens, governments and global health and human rights initiatives. Our collective “responsibility for justice”—best understood through Iris Young’s “social connection model”—is what’s required.

The American Psychiatric Association (2013) officially added Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) as a mood disorder in the DSM-5, despite controversy over its validity, the lack of research in marginalized populations (Pilver et al., 2011), and concerns that PMDD pathologizes normal experience and disregards contextual factors of emotional distress (Ussher, 2012). However, the pharmaceutical industry has much to gain by legitimizing PMDD as a disorder and promoting the need for antidepressant medication (ADM) to treat it. The repackaging of Prozac/fluoxetine as Sarafem as a “new and effective” treatment was certainly helped by the financial relationships among industry, the APA, DSM, and FDA; the majority of DSM-IV PMDD panel members had industry ties, and the expert opinion given to the FDA by a DSM panel member that PMDD was a ‘real and distinct’ disorder was instrumental in getting Sarafem/Prozac approved (Cosgrove & Wheeler, 2013). There are currently three ADMs approved to treat PMDD and the industry-facilitated approval of these drugs was used to justify PMDD’s inclusion in the DSM-5. In a previous investigation, we found two meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of ADM for PMDD that came to different conclusions about efficacy—even though they reviewed the same evidence. The meta-analysis authored by researchers with commercial ties concluded that ADMs are effective (Shah et al, 2008). The authors of the other meta-analysis who did not have industry ties concluded that current evidence about efficacy is unsatisfactory (Kleinstäuber, 2012). In this presentation, we will provide data on the extent and type of industry support of RCTs of ADM for PMDD, discuss the relationship between industry funding and the conclusions drawn about the efficacy and safety of ADM for the treatment of PMDD, and examine how marginalized populations are represented in RCTs. Prescriptions for reform and implications for stakeholders will also be addressed. References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing. Cosgrove, L., & Wheeler, E. E. (2013). Industry’s colonization of psychiatry: Ethical and practical implications of financial conflicts of interest in the DSM-5. Feminism & Psychology, 23(1), 93-106. Kleinstäuber M., Witthöft M., & Hiller W. (2012) Cognitive-Behavioral and pharmacological interventions for premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 19, 308-319. Pilver C. E., Desai, R., Kasi, S., & Levy, B. R. (2011). Lifetime discrimination associated with greater likelihood of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Journal of Women’s Health, 20(6), 923-931. Shah, N. R., Jones, J. B., Aperi, J., Shemtov, R., Karne, A., Borenstein, J. (2008). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A meta-analysis. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 111(5), 1175-1182. Ussher, J. M. (2012). Diagnosing difficult women and pathologising femininity: Gender bias in psychiatric nosology. Feminism & Psychology, 23(1), 63-69.

Transgender women (‘transwomen’) are at disproportionate risk of acquiring HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) represents the first efficacious biomedical HIV prevention approach. However, a subanalysis of the iPrEx data revealed zero efficacy among transwomen in the trial. Furthermore, transwomen are excluded or underrepresented in PrEP research, often aggregated with MSM without consideration for their unique positions within sociocultural contexts. This study examined culturally specific facilitators and barriers to PrEP acceptability among urban transwomen at risk for HIV. We conducted 3 focus groups and 9 individual interviews with transwomen (total N=30) in San Francisco focused on their knowledge of, interest in, and concerns about PrEP for HIV prevention. Transcripts were analyzed for common themes; a team of researchers applied analytic codes using Atlas.ti. Due to negative experiences with healthcare providers and healthcare settings, ability to obtain PrEP from a trans-friendly provider (particularly the same trusted provider that prescribes their hormones) was cited as essential to PrEP uptake and adherence. While knowledge of PrEP was low, interest was relatively high. Participants noted that use of PrEP could address several aspects of transwomen’s lives that increase their HIV risk, including sex work and low power to negotiate safer sex. Barriers to PrEP use included concerns about interactions with hormones, managing multiple medications, potential side effects, and avoidance of medical settings. Findings underscore an urgent need to disaggregate transwomen from MSM in HIV prevention strategies, emphasizing several trans-specific facilitators and concerns to inform dissemination of PrEP among urban transwomen. Ongoing failure to consider positions of transwomen’s bodies and sexualities within fraught sociocultural contexts, including medical settings, has limited the effectiveness of HIV prevention efforts to mitigate disparate risk among this highly vulnerable and unique group.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (2003) reported over 1.2 million children are forced into sexual slavery every year worldwide. The sexual slavery of children is a global issue, and although often perceived to be a problem in developing nations, it also occurs to a large degree in the United States (Logan, Walker & Hunt, 2009). Between 100,000 and 300,000 youth are prostituted every year in the U.S. (Estes & Weiner, 2001). In the United States domestic minor sex trafficking victims are under the age of 18 and have been recruited, harbored, transported, provided or obtained to perform sex acts (Washington State Office of the Attorney General, n.d.). Kotrla’s (2010) review of the literature on sex trafficking in the U.S. found that the populations most often trafficked domestically are American-born citizens and legal residents, not foreign nationals brought in to U.S., as is often believed to be the case (Hughes, 2007). However, attention, research, and funds are disproportionately allocated to foreign national trafficking victims, followed by domestic adults and finally domestic children (Finklea, Fernandes-Alcantara, & Siskin, 2011; Fong & Berger Cardoso, 2010; Hughes, 2007). The aim of this retrospective study was to collect the personal narratives of U.S. citizen and legal resident adults who were sexually exploited as minors within the U.S. in order to garner insight into their experience. Fifteen survivors were interviewed and a narrative framework that draws on feminist approaches was utilized to explore their experiences. After transcription and analysis, six major themes emerged from the participants’ interviews: predisposing factors, precipitating factors, experiences while being trafficked, present circumstances, mental health related issues and coping mechanisms, and views on sex trafficking. I will provide an overview of their responses with examples from their personal narratives. The mental health and policy implications will also be presented.

Research on women survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has examined sexual functioning among survivors, and resilience factors that contribute to well-being. This narrative research study examined the experiences of nine women survivors of CSA who report having a positive sexual self-concept. Implications for practice, training, and research are discussed.

Male sexual abuse (MSA) is an understudied phenomenon impacting more than 4 to 5 million men in the United States. As is the case for female survivors, male survivors would benefit from being considered in the planning and tailoring of sexual abuse treatments. Making all voices heard, including those of male survivors, may impact traditional gender stereotypes that feminism seeks to deconstruct. Although there are difficulties that make the inclusion of male survivors a challenge, like the pervasive male perpetrator/female victim paradigm, male survivors would benefit from being recognized as individuals who have suffered devastating trauma and should be made to feel welcome in receiving mental health services. Perhaps this recognition would assist to balance out the challenges associated with under-reporting and underutilization of services, whilst moving the field beyond inclusion, so as to embrace the marginalized within the survivor community. One way to promote this shift is to include the perspective of male survivors in research aimed to identify beneficial aspects of sexual abuse treatment. Group therapy is an effective treatment modality for male survivors, yet there are limited studies utilizing male survivor perceptions of the treatment experience. The current study used a qualitative approach to explore six male survivors and their perceptions of the beneficial aspects of sexual abuse group therapy. Preliminary findings suggest that the following aspects of group therapy may be notably beneficial to the participants interviewed: facilitator’s validation and expression of empathy, group membership with other men who have experienced sexual abuse, facilitator’s survivor status, hearing fellow group member’s abuse stories, discussing shame, blame, and guilt, and the facilitator’s willingness to self-disclose. These results may contribute to a foundational knowledge base necessary for future research and may promote further inclusion of male survivors into the survivor community.