Collection

Homosexuality Among Highly Religious Mormons Survey

Span Dates: 2002-2010
Bulk Dates: 2002-2003
Volume: 1.25 linear feet

Description

The survey included many open-ended questions as well as psychological measures of personality, values, relationships, religious beliefs, and other variables that were thought to might help explain the struggle in overcoming, reconciling, or rejecting either one's homosexuality or one's Mormon beliefs and the consequences involved. There were 183 participants that filled out the surveys and two time waves of data. The first data was gathered in the fall of 2002 and winter of 2003. The number of participants who filled out the survey at this time was 165 (numbered from 1-164 and 182). It was my desire to get permission to do the research from BYU, but permission was denied so the sponsoring university at that time was Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello and the responsible faculty member was Ron Schow. After graduating from BYU in 2005, I was offered a post-doctoral assignment at the University of Southern California (USC) and my mentors there encouraged me to do a follow-up study which was approved there and conducted during the winter of 2006/2007 with the faculty member overseeing my study being Tim Biblarz. Almost half of the original participants filled out a follow-up study (74) and there were also 18 new participants that had not filled out the previous survey. Overall there were 257 surveys that were filled out. In addition, the survey information requested stories and provided a survey for non-gay family members or friends of gay people, inviting them to share their story. During the first time wave (2002-2003), 12 relatives or friends of gay people filled out surveys as well. We also have a file with miscellaneous correspondence and submitted stories from others who did not fill out the survey and from family/friends who wanted to share their ideas but did not fill out the survey. If a person shared additional information and also participated in the study, their additional information is added as part of their survey data. I included a file review board petitions as they give references to sources for the psychological measures are found in these surveys. The surveys were accepted by review boards at ISU and USC. I have also included the two petitions to do the study at BYU which were not approved. These were included because they give additional references to psychological measures and survey procedures that were not reported in the ISU and USC documents, and provide a little more background for the conditions of the study. The second BYU petition provides the most detailed description of measurement reliability and validity for these psychological measures and references which would be useful to anyone wanting to compare their research to other studies which asked similar or the same questions on their surveys. The studies served as the basis of "Coping with Injustice: A Developmental Model" published in Social Economic and Environmental Justice for all Families.

Hist/Bio Note

Gary Horlacher, (Ph.D. from BYU in Marriage, Family, and Human Development, 2005) (Post Doctoral Fellow from USC in Family Gerontology, 2006-2009) (Currently independent researcher in SLC, April 21, 2010)

Finding Aid

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c84m95bx

Location

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California 909 West Adams Boulevard Los Angeles, California, 90007
https://ONEarchives.org

Tags

Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)