Douglas Knutson

Oklahoma State University | Oklahoma State · School of Community Health Sciences Counseling and Counseling Psychology

We examined mental health among adults with ADHD using data from a national survey of disabled adults.

In research and popular culture, drag is framed as a resilience and/or resistance strategy developed and deployed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or with marginalized sexual orientations and/or gender (LGBTQ+) communities to promote individual and community resilience. However, recent studies indicate high levels of depression in sam...

Science has a history of excluding marginalized groups, including people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other marginalized gender and sexual identities (LGBTQ+), and recent calls urge the wildlife sciences to address disparities. Literature on inclusion in the life sciences generally has focused on personal affirmation and has ne...

Psychology trainees operate in high stress environments and supervisees with multiple marginalized identities, such as multiethnic women, must also navigate and/or resist discrimination. Resistance as a tool against oppression (positive resistance) is an emerging concept in psychology. Consensual qualitative research method was used to explore the...

Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies: Conceptualizations of gender dysphoria have primarily centered only on bodily contexts, but researchers have recently identified the importance of also considering the roles of social and systemic contexts when conceptualizing experiences of gender dysphoria. The present study aimed to expand the understand...

The omission of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and expansive minoritized sexual and gender identities (hereafter, LGBTQ+) from demographic data collection in science is a critical issue. Ignoring these identities perpetuates practices that drive people out of science, erase experiences, and discount systemic barriers navigated by L...

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youth face unique health care challenges that result in and maintain health disparities. A general lack of provider competence perpetuates negative health care experiences and subsequent avoidance of care. This is of particular concern when it comes to sexual health care, an area of increased vulnerability for TNB yo...

Scholars suggest that marginalized people in non-urban areas experience higher distress levels and fewer psychosocial resources than in urban areas. Researchers have yet to test whether precise proximity to urban centers is associated with mental health for marginalized populations. We recruited 1733 people who reported living in 45 different count...

LGBTQ+ individuals face unique barriers to participation in ecology. Such barriers are particularly relevant during fieldwork, including physical and discriminatory risks, increased isolation and noninclusive infrastructure. To make science and fieldwork more accessible to LGBTQ+ people, we must consider safety and survival needs along with persona...

Legislators who support current anti-transgender, sport-focused legislation argue that they are protecting cisgender athletes who oppose transgender inclusion. In particular, laws are being proposed and passed that aim to prevent transgender women from participating on women’s sports teams. However, little is known about whether athletes themselves...

Purpose: Employee turnover is a major issue for health care organizations. Burnout is a leading contributor to such turnover. Extensive research on burnout has been conducted in health care settings; however, it has primarily been focused on health care professionals ignoring other critical staff. In particular, traumatic brain injury rehabilitati...

Minimal research has examined the experiences of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people in graduate school with no studies to date examining the experiences of TNB students in psychology graduate programs. The purpose of this study was to utilize a critical-ideological paradigm to identify recruitment, retention, and attrition factors for TNB peopl...

Eating pathology (EP) is reported at alarmingly high rates among transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people. The present study investigates key associations between experiences that are common in TNB populations and EP. TNB individuals located within the United States (N = 212) who self-identified as currently experiencing disordered eating or an eatin...

Despite the call to internationalize counseling psychology and calls for improved mentoring to Asian international students enrolled in counseling psychology training programs, there is a dearth of literature to help trainers understand this population’s clinical training experiences. The present study explored the practicum experiences of Asian in...

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other marginalized gender and sexual identities (LGBTQ+) face unique barriers to participation in the sciences rooted in cis-heteronormativity and heterosexism. We need to expand conversations on LGBTQ+ advocacy in science beyond personal beliefs and actions, and toward the recognition of structural and soc...

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other marginalized gender and sexual identities (LGBTQ+) face unique barriers to participation in applied ecology. Such barriers are particularly relevant during fieldwork, including physical and discriminatory risks, increased isolation, and non-inclusive infrastructure.To be more inclusive, fieldwork shou...

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people face significant physical and mental health, social, and economic disparities, disparities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent qualitative and quantitative research has explored some of the specific ways that LGBTQ+ people have been developing and using resi...

This article is the first to provide empirical support for the concept of microaffirmation in psychology and education. The theory of microaffirmation stems from the idea that it is important and useful to focus on positive experiences in the hopes that they might be promoted or replicated. Using Consensual Qualitative Research methodology, we exam...

IntroductionPolitical orientation and some aspects of religiosity (e.g., religious fundamentalism) are associated with support for legislative initiatives restricting access to public bathrooms and other facilities (i.e., bathroom bills), but researchers have yet to examine the unique ways that elements of religiosity interact with political ideals...

Nearly 50% of graduate students report experiencing emotional or psychological distress during their enrollment in graduate school. Levels of distress are particularly high for transgender and nonbinary graduate students who experience daily discrimination and marginalization. Universities and colleges have yet to address and accommodate the needs...

Scholars note that therapist performance is one of many factors that contribute to client treatment outcomes. Given that the performance of therapists matters, researchers have identified several methods and models for improving therapist effectiveness. However, scholars have yet to explore highly effective therapists' perspectives on their motivat...

Healthcare providers generally conceptualize and treat gender dysphoria as an internal concern isolated within the individual, an approach rooted in the medical model. Reaching beyond limitations of current diagnostic approaches, researchers identify at least several external factors (e.g., interpersonal, systemic, sociocultural) that are associate...

Researchers and scholars suggest that aspects of drag performance (e.g., social connections, creative achievement) increase resilience in LGBTQ+ communities. Scholars also suggest, however, that drag performance exposes performers to risk and performers may be more depressed than other LGBTQ+ people. Researchers have yet to demonstrate ways that di...

When LGBTQ+ people come out they often experience turbulence in their families of origin that impacts their access to psychosocial resources. In general, families of origin are a source of support and resilience, but this may not always be the case for LGBTQ+ people. When LGBTQ+ people are unable to rely on their families of origin, researchers pos...

Objective Stress is a barrier to academic success for college students and the unique resilience effects of ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance have yet to be explored. We hypothesized that tolerance of ambiguity and tolerance of uncertainty relate to academic stress differently. Participants We recruited 158 undergraduate participants from a medi...

People with multiple minoritized identities, such as those that identify as a minoritized sexual orientation and/or gender identity and as a Person of Color (POC), report higher levels of distress that may result from complex systems and various sources of discrimination. Resilience is an adaptive response to oppression that enables marginalized co...

The authors discuss their work with a young adult client who identified as gender fluid. The client was a college student in a rural, mid-south town. The authors are two faculty members who worked with the client for a period of 2 years using a cotherapy supervision approach. The counseling approach was affirmative and person-centered. By keeping a...

In the rural state of Oklahoma, suicide rates are nearly double the U.S. national average. Self-harm behaviors are among the risk factors for suicide and are believed to regulate negative emotions such as depression and anxiety. LGBTQ+ transitional youth in rural areas are likely to experience elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and stress, rela...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from marginalized communities, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, adding to existing social and economic inequities experienced by LGBTQ+ community members. Given the vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ populations, it is important for...

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people report experiencing elevated rates of discrimination and psychological distress (James et al., 2016). Transgender-affirming interventions are recommended to address psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression) reported by TNB individuals (Craig & Austin, 2016). TNB people in rural areas report barriers (...

Scholars continue to call for innovations in social justice training and offer suggestions for pedagogical design and training content (e.g., Steele, 2008; Vera & Speight, 2003). Building on this existing literature and incorporating suggested activities and elements, we designed and offered a semester-long predoctoral social justice consultation p...

Nearly 50% of graduate students report experiencing emotional or psychological distress during their enrollment in graduate school. Levels of distress are particularly high for transgender and non-binary graduate students who experience daily discrimination and marginalization. Universities and colleges have yet to address and accommodate the needs...

LGB people may become less accessible to health professionals as technology reshapes LGB social connections. Though electronic forms of health promotion are effective, some interventions must be delivered in person. We use GIS to analyze characteristics (e.g., gender identity, depression, and performance involvement) shared by 114 gay, cisgender ma...

Scholars who investigate drag performance tend to focus on associations between female impersonation and gender theories or social gender norms. Current conceptualizations of drag and gender identities draw on qualitative studies that either narrowly focus on gender through theoretical lenses or that comment on gender with secondary analyses. We so...

The history of gender theory is marked by critical conversations, difficult dialogues, and inspiring activism that have expanded gender informed treatment and continue to shape interventions for people with a variety of gender identities (see Singh and dickey, 2017). The “APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men” are an example o...

Therapists may encounter many opportunities and dilemmas when working with transgender and non-binary clients. Transgender and non-binary clients may use pronouns that are new or unfamiliar to their therapists, but little is known about the unique impact that pronoun use may have in therapy. The pronouns and preferred names that transgender and non...

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the relationship that emerges between learning and humor when students are participating in computer-mediated classroom discussions. Graduate students enrolled in one of two sections of a hybrid seminar participated in synchronous online chats as a regular part of class. Conceptualizing learning...

As a transgender person, embracing one’s authentic self is an act of courage, self-love, and resistance in the oppressively cisnormative US society. Because simply existing as a transgender person challenges gender norms and expectations, coming out to a romantic partner can be terrifying. This process can be complex, and even painful or invalidati...

Quantitative research on levels of depression and gender dysphoria in drag populations is lacking. It is possible that this lack occurs because researchers tend to include drag queens within transgender samples. Such sampling practices may result in inaccurate assumptions about drag queen populations. This study established rates of depression and...

One current focus of training in applied psychology programs is multicultural competence. Research on multicultural competence has focused on students and on clinical supervisors. However, much training in multicultural competence occurs in classrooms and within training programs, and there has been limited examination of the multicultural competen...

United States Census data from 2016 indicate that 12.7% of the population may be living in poverty, a total of 40.6 million people. The most visible of those living in poverty and/or facing un- or under-employment are people who panhandle, characterized by soliciting requests for assistance on street corners or highway exits. If issues of poverty a...

Scholars continue to call for research-informed treatment approaches for transgender clients. The existing literature directs therapists to learn about unique issues facing transgender individuals and to provide affirming therapy for transgender clients. We offer a person-centered approach to treatment for transgender individuals that integrates cu...

Purpose: Scholars indicate that rates of mental and physical health issues (e.g., substance use, anxiety, depression) may be much higher among transgender individuals relative to the general population. This disparity may be even greater for transgender individuals in rural areas. Clinical researchers suggest using affirmative therapeutic approache...

To better understand psychological experiences of drag queens, the authors conducted interviews with 12 cisgender, gay male drag queens from a midsouth state. Participants were age 22 to 54 years (M = 34) and reported participating in drag for 2 to 33 years (M = 13). The authors used consensual qualitative analysis to identify five main themes: mot...

African-American women report higher levels of chronic conditions and church attendance relative to the overall US population. Therefore, efforts have increased over the past decade to design church-based health promotion programs. The present study compared changes in religiosity, religious social support and general social support across time wit...

According to scholars, transgender and gender diverse individuals suffer disproportionately from health-related concerns such as: depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and HIV infection. Scholars have also found that transgender people experience high rates of homeless-ness, harassment, violence, and unemployment. These challenges may ultima...

The Cambridge Handbook of International Prevention Science offers a comprehensive global overview on prevention science with the most up-to-date research from around the world. Over 100 scholars from 27 different countries (including Australia, Bhutan, Botswana, India, Israel, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and Thailand) contributed to this...

There is a crucial need for competent mental health services for persons who identify as transgender. This need is even greater for those who live in rural areas or small towns. However, there is little research on persons who are transgender who live in rural or remote areas. Typically, when rural populations are studied, gender minorities (e.g.,...

Background: Rural communities face geographical health inequities that can reduce quality of life. However, rural communities are thought to have close social networks and higher levels of support. The purpose of the current study was to determine the feasibility of utilizing a social support measure within the Mobilizing for Action through Plannin...

Town and country: self-harm and risk factors among LGBT youth by location Problem: U. S. Self-Harm rates are 17% among college students, generally aged 18-22 years (Whitlock, Eckenrode, & Silverman, 2006). Researchers suggest such self-destructive behaviors are used to regulate negative emotions (Favazza, 1992). Although few investigators have add...

Religious belief has been linked to a variety of positive mental and physical health outcomes. This exploratory study will address the relationship between religious involvement and social connectedness among African American women. Results from a physical activity intervention research project (N = 465) found that total religious support and socia...

ICAP 2014 Abstract Submission website Applied Geropsychologyÿ/ Gérontopsychologie ICAP14-ABS6558 Intergenerational learning via a statewide telephone referral network with college students and older members of the LGBTI community Sue C. Jacobs 1,*Douglas Knutson 1Colton Brown 1Bradley Horn 1Samuel Farley 1Josiah Stogsdill 2 1School of Applied Heal...