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Coming out Mormon COMING OUT MORMON: AN EXAMINATION OF RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION, SPIRITUAL TRAUMA, AND PTSD AMONG MORMON AND EX-MORMON LGBTQQA ADULTS by BRIAN WILLIAM SIMMONS (Under the Direction of Shari E. Miller) ABSTRACT Participation in organized religion has been correlated with various negative mental health outcomes for LGBTQQA persons, including shame, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse. However, previous research has not fully examined the impact of specific religious events on these outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between Allport & Ross’ (1967) religious orientations, orthodoxy, spiritual trauma, and PTSD in LGBTQQA Mormons and ex-Mormons. Mormonism was selected as the study’s focus population given its centralized governing structure as well as its strong doctrinal and policy restrictions against homosexuality and transgenderism. The study used a cross-sectional online survey design. Two-hundred and seventy-eight participants were recruited primarily through LDS-affiliated LGBTQQA support and discussion groups on Facebook. Existing measures were used to collect data on religious orientation and PTSD, while the researcher developed questions to quantify spiritual trauma specific to Mormon doctrine and policies. The majority of participants (85.6%) were raised in an LDS family and half (51.8%) indicated they still attend LDS services at least monthly. On average, participants identified 13.8 religious beliefs, teachings, or experiences as “damaging” or “extremely damaging.” A majority of participants (89.2%) likely met criteria for PTSD diagnosis related to their religious experiences. Respondent’s perception of religious experiences as damaging had a statistically significant positive effect on PTSD symptomology. Conditional process analysis did not show any significant relationship between religious orientation and orthodoxy on spiritual trauma or PTSD. Overall, the findings of this study indicate LGBTQQA Mormon and ex-Mormon adults experience a substantial amount of spiritual trauma and PTSD related to their religious experiences. Thus, it is recommended social workers incorporate religious and spiritual dimensions into assessment efforts to assess both positive and negative impacts of religious participation, with social work education providing additional training in the topics of spirituality and spiritual trauma. Implications for future research, including continued efforts to build a conceptual consensus of spiritual trauma, are also shared. INDEX WORDS: LGBTQQA, LGBT, Queer, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Religious Orientation, Spiritual Trauma, Orthodoxy, PTSD, Mormon, LDS, Conditional Process Analysis, Survey Research COMING OUT MORMON: AN EXAMINATION OF RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION, SPIRITUAL TRAUMA, AND PTSD AMONG MORMONS AND EX-MORMON LGBTQQA ADULTS by BRIAN WILLIAM SIMMONS B.S., Brigham Young University, 2006 M.S.W., University of Utah, 2008 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2017 © 2017 Brian William Simmons All Rights Reserved COMING OUT MORMON: AN EXAMINATION OF RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION, SPIRITUAL TRAUMA, AND PTSD AMONG MORMONS AND EX-MORMON LGBTQQA ADULTS by BRIAN WILLIAM SIMMONS Major Professor: Shari E. Miller Committee: Mary A. Caplan Brian E. Bride Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2017 iv DEDICATION For anyone who has ever been taught that who they are is abhorrent to God. May we build a future where “all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33). v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who participated in this study. Without willing participants, this study would have never been possible. Behind every data point and statistical computation is a person with a face, story, and heart. Thank you for entrusting me with a part of your story; I hope the chapters that follow shine light on the experiences you’ve shared. I extend my deepest appreciation to my committee members. Every interaction with my committee members left me feeling inspired and motivated. Dr. Miller, thank you for helping me navigate the space between conceptual and concrete. Your mentorship showed me how to take vague questions and translate them into a concrete research plan. Thank you for encouraging me to always go a step deeper and wider. Mostly, thank you for your patience, while also offering motivation through the way. This process took much longer than either of us anticipated, but you never gave up on me. Your feedback and direction made this study stronger than it would have otherwise been. Dr. Bride, thank you for staying on my committee even though you left UGA; learning from you has been an honor. Thank you for helping me to keep my head above water when it seemed that the methodological Gods were conspiring against me. Also, thank you for being responsive and kind when inundated by my emails. Finally, Dr. Caplan, thank you for being a champion of this project. I will always remember passion in your voice during the prospectus defense – I knew at that moment that you truly understood what this project meant. I must also thank my family at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Without the support of the Institute of Government leadership, I would not have been able to balance this project and my work responsibilities. Dr. Theresa Wright, Dr. Laura Meadows, and David vi Tanner were all key in my success. Dr. Theresa Wright helped me develop from a graduate research assistant to a full-time research professional. Her support and encouragement kept me committed to my doctoral program. Dr. Laura Meadows and David Tanner have demonstrated what it truly means to support professional development. My professional training in survey research while employed at the Institute of Government was an immense benefit through every phase of this project. Additionally, my work at the Institute of Government has opened my eyes to the varied opportunities for applied research in public service. To my PhD cohort, Dr. Debra Lubar, Dr. Soonok An, and Dr. Melinda Moore, thank you for your friendship. When I moved to Georgia to start the PhD program I didn’t know a single soul; however, I quickly gained three of the greatest friends I could ever imagine. Deb, thank you for welcoming Julie and me into your home. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your children grow these last seven years. You have been a source of keen advice, in both academic and professional arenas. I never will understand how you balanced parenthood, full-time employment, and writing your dissertation simultaneously with such apparent ease. You set the bar high for the rest of the cohort, but you also showed me that it could be done. Soonok, 고맙습니다. Thank you for appeasing my desire for Korean food and conversation. Thank you for your kind heart and warm smile. Thank you for being my 누나, in every sense of the word. Mostly, I want to thank you for being my son’s 이모. We are family, now and forever. Melinda, thank you for being my sounding board and helping me to grow more comfortable in my own skin. Whether it be personal, academic, or professional, I knew I could count on you for honest counsel. Thank you for introducing me to Doctor Who, TJ Klune books, and other much needed mental respites. You always knew I could do this, even when I wasn’t certain. I look forward to vii many continued years of profound friendship. In reflecting on my time as a doctoral student, I cannot think of having a better team than Deb, Soonok, and Melinda. I would not be where I am today without the amazing Julie Rae Simmons by my side. I don’t think either of us really understood what we were getting into when we moved to Georgia seven years ago. She looked forward with excitement as we left our families and all our friends to start a new chapter across the country. Being much more pleasant than myself, she was instrumental in building a support network for us in Georgia. She has shown the greatest amount of patience and love through this progress. Despite her frustrations at my periods of procrastination, never once did she question my abilities. She’s seen my tears and soothed my broken heart as this process uncovered my own emotional wounds. Her words “you can do this” will be seared eternally on my soul. We’ve traveled this road together, finding our son William along the way. I’ve watched her grow into the most beautiful of mothers and a fierce advocate for those she loves. Through this process she’s played breadwinner, cheerleader, and single mother to give me the time and space I needed to work. She puts up with my flaws, accepts me for who I am, and encourages me to become a better husband, father, and person. I will never be able to repay her for her continued love and support. And finally, to William. You are my everything. My world awakens every morning in your smile and sleeps every night on your brow. From the moment you were placed in my arms to my dying breath, I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be your Dadda. You give me passion; you give me purpose. Never question your worth or how much you are loved. I hope only to build for you a world more loving and kind than the one I inherited. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x
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