Wade Karten SOCE Subjective Study
Wade Karten SOCE Subjective Study
Wade Karten SOCE Subjective Study
1537-6680 (PRINT)
1933-026X (ONLINE)
VOLUME 18
ISSUE 1
PAGES 84 102
The current study concerns men who are dissatisfied with their same-sex sexual
feelings and behavior, and who have pursued sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE)
to increase their sexual feelings and behavior toward women. Its psychological treatment component, also known as sexual conversion or sexual reorientation therapy, attempts to help dissatisfied homosexually oriented people learn to resist and minimize
their homosexual behavior, thoughts, and feelings so that they can live more happily
within the mainstream heterosexual culture that they value (Byrd, Nicolosi, & Potts,
2008). Despite the American Psychiatric Associations treatment of homosexuality as
a normal variant of human sexuality for over 30 years, dissenters have continued to
a
Department of Psychology, Fordham University.
Correspondence for this article should be addressed to Elan Y. Karten, Merkaz HaChinuch, Rechov Beit Hadfus 11, Jerusalem, Israel. Electronic mail: elanyk@gmail.com
The Journal of Mens Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1, Winter 2010, 84-102.
2010 by the Mens Studies Press, LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.mensstudies.com
jms.1801.84/$14.00 DOI: 10.3149/jms.1801.84 ISSN/1060-8265 e-ISSN/1933-0251
84
N
117
116
116
116
Min
9
-11
18
1
Max
Mean
SD
63
36
54
7
52.45
16.38
39.83
2.55
10.95
10.64
8.33
1.48
2.78 (.44)
-.45 (.45)
-.26 (.45)
.74 (.45)
Note. RABBM = Restrictive Affectionate Behavior between Men; Sex Self-Iden (Ons.) = Sexual Self-Identity at Onset of Interventions.
92
Intrinsic Religiosity
No Reference Group
RABBM Change
Sexual Self-Identity
Heterosexual
Change
Score
Homosexual
Change
Score
Change in
Psychological
Well-Being
-.18
.23*
.27**
-.29**
-.21*
.26**
.48**
-.22*
-.10
.16
.32**
-.10
Note. RABBM Change = Restrictive affectionate behavior between men change score. Sexual
self-identity reflects participants rated sexual identity at beginning SOCE.
* p < .05 ** p < .01
93
% rated
most helpful
91.4
75.2
67.5
64.1
58.1
49.6
45.3
3.96
4.20
3.85
4.28
3.57
4.17
3.73
4.1
36.9
8.2
21.3
7.4
9.0
2.5
42.7
28.2
22.2
3.67
2.15
3.08
7.4
<1.0
2.5
Note. *Item means based on the Therapeutic Interventions Scale and range from 1 (not at all
helpful) to 5 (extremely so).
strategies. The mean responses indicate that these interventions were extremely or
markedly helpful. Comparatively, the least helpful technique was using female sex
surrogates, which was deemed not at all helpful by the participants.
Discussion
The primary purpose of our research study was to examine whether certain psychological and social characteristics were related to reports of change in sexual and
psychological functioning in men who have involved themselves in SOCE. We first
examined whether the sample reported a change in their functioning. Next, we examined the hypothesis that high religiosity, lack of feelings of psychological relatedness
to other men, a reduction in conflict associated with affection between men, being married, and a heterosexual identity would be characteristics associated with self reports
of positive change in sexual and psychological functioning. Change in sexual functioning was assessed by participants responding to a measure that asked about their homosexual and heterosexual feelings and behaviors at two points in time: at onset of
intervention and currently. Psychological functioning was assessed by participants responding to a measure that asked the extent to which they have noticed positive changes
in the areas of self-esteem, depression, self-harmful behavior, thoughts and attempts of
suicide, social functioning, and alcohol and substance abuse as a result of their change
efforts. Lastly, we explored what motivated the men to seek sexual reorientation, and
what therapeutic interventions and techniques they found to be most and least helpful
to them.
95
Table 4
Percentage Who Received Technique and Helpfulness Ratings
Technique
% who received
the technique
Item mean
* helpfulness
rating
% rated
extremely
helpful
98.3
4.52
62.4
98.3
4.33
55.6
95.7
95.7
4.48
3.88
59.8
38.5
94.9
3.49
20.5
94.0
4.02
32.5
93.2
4.08
41.9
91.5
4.08
43.6
91.5
3.91
32.5
88.9
88.0
79.5
65.8
63.2
53.8
32.5
3.83
3.08
3.06
3.40
1.93
2.76
1.45
28.2
12.8
12.8
12.8
4.3
6.8
0.0
Note. *Item means based on the Therapeutic Interventions Scale and range from 1 (not at all
helpful) to 5 (extremely so).
96
References
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