Asexual Experiences of Microaggressions Scale: Instrument Development and Evaluation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2020 Asexual Experiences Of Microaggressions Scale: Instrument Development And Evaluation Evelyn Estela Ayala Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Ayala, Evelyn Estela, "Asexual Experiences Of Microaggressions Scale: Instrument Development And Evaluation" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 3255. https://commons.und.edu/theses/3255 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ASEXUAL EXPERIENCES OF MICROAGGRESSIONS SCALE: INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION by Evelyn Ayala Bachelor of Art in Psychology, California State University of San Bernardino, 2012 Bachelor of Art in Human Development, California State University of San Bernardino, 2012 Master of Arts in General Experimental Psychology, 2015 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, ND August 2020 DocuSign Envelope ID: BB5DFD48-4152-4DCE-811D-9DFA9D27D2EC Evelyn Ayala Name: Degree: Doctor of Philosophy This document, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved. ____________________________________ Evelyn Ayala ____________________________________ Evelyn Ayala ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ This document is being submitted by the appointed advisory committee as having met all the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Dakota and is hereby approved. ____________________________________ Chris Nelson Dean of the School of Graduate Studies 6/30/2020____________________________________ Date ii PERMISSION Title Asexual Experiences of Microaggressions Scale: Instrument Development and Evaluation Department Counseling Psychology Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work or, in her absence, by the Chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Evelyn Ayala July 20, 2020 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW .................................. 1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 Literature Review................................................................................ 5 Asexual Background .................................................................. 5 Defining Asexuality ................................................................... 7 Asexuality Prevalence ................................................................ 12 Asexuality and Stigma ............................................................... 13 Understanding Microaggressions and Their Impact ........................... 14 Michanisms of Microaggressions .............................................. 15 Types of Microaggressions ........................................................ 15 Sexual Orientation and Microaggressions ................................. 18 Microaggressions and Harmful Effects ..................................... 19 Microaggressions and Harmful Effects among LGBT .............. 21 Measuring Experiences of Microaggressions ............................ 21 Purpose of the Study .................................................................. 23 iv II METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 26 Phase One: Item Development ............................................................ 26 Item Generation ......................................................................... 26 Review of Items by Expert Reviewers and Community Stakeholders ............................................................................... 27 Phase Two: Exploratory Factor Analysis ........................................... 30 Recruitment and Data Collection Procedures ............................ 30 III ANALYSIS ................................................................................................. 36 Preliminary Sampling Analysis ......................................................... 36 Exploratory Factor Analysis ............................................................... 37 Reliability Analysis of the Final Scale ................................................ 41 Validity Analysis of the Final Scale ................................................... 42 IV DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 46 Factor Structure ................................................................................... 47 Discrimination Experiences Subscale ........................................ 47 Portrayal of Asexuals in the Media Subscale ............................ 49 Having a Partner Subscale ......................................................... 49 Prestigious Employment Subscale ............................................. 50 Rejection in the LGBT+ Community Subscale ......................... 51 Internal Consistency ............................................................................ 52 Content and Construct Validity .......................................................... 52 Content Validity ......................................................................... 52 Construct Validity ...................................................................... 53 v Limitations .......................................................................................... 55 Implications......................................................................................... 57 Theoretical Implications ............................................................ 57 Implications for Future Research ............................................... 59 Implications for Clinical Work .................................................. 61 Conclusions ................................................................................ 62 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 64 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 91 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Initial Principal Axis Factors Extraction Scree Plot ............................................ 38 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Exploratory Factor Analysis Demographic Information ..................................... 31 2. Final Structure and Factor Loadings for Exploratory Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotation of the AEM Scales ................................................................. 40 3. AEM Internal Correlations .................................................................................. 42 4. Asexual Experiences of Microaggressions Scale Correlations with Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding for Social Desirability ................ 43 5. Asexual Experiences of Microaggressions Scale Correlations with Sexual Stigma Scale for Convergent Validity ................................................................. 44 6. Asexual Experiences of Microaggressions Scale Correlations with Perceived Stress Scale for Convergent Validity .................................................. 45 viii ABSTRACT The present paper explores the experience of microaggressions among asexuals and relevant literature. There is a dearth of research on asexuality, particularly as it relates to the experience of microaggressions. However, research suggests that microaggressions have a cumulative impact on both physical and emotional well-being as reported by all minority groups that face microaggressions (Lewis, 2009, Mayer, 2010). The development of a scale that measures the experience of microaggressions would allow for this area of research to be further studied. The paper utilized DeVellis’s (2017) method for scale development to develop a psychometrically sound scale assessing the