Eric Sprankle’s research while affiliated with Minnesota State University, Mankato and other places

Sexual health concerns are one of the most common late effects facing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors. The current study tested whether self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms before transplant were associated with embedded items assessing two specific areas of sexual health—sexual interest and sexual satisfaction—one year post-HSCT. Of the 158 study participants, 41% were diagnosed with a plasma cell disorder (n = 60) and most received autologous transplantation (n = 128; 81%). At post-HSCT, 21% of participants reported they were not at all satisfied with their sex life, and 22% were not at all interested in sex. Greater pre-HSCT depressive symptomology was significantly predictive of lower sexual interest (β = −.27, p < .001) and satisfaction (β = −.39, p < .001) at post-HSCT. Similarly, greater pre-HSCT trait anxiety was significantly predictive of lower sexual interest (β = −.19, p = .02) whereas higher levels of state and trait anxiety were both predictive of lower satisfaction (β = −.22, p = .02 and β = −.29, p = .001, respectively). Participant sex significantly moderated the relationship between state anxiety and sexual satisfaction (b = −.05, t = −2.03, p = .04). Additional research examining the factors that contribute to sexual health post-HCST is needed to inform and implement clinical interventions to address these commonly overlooked survivorship concerns.

Little attention has been given to how therapist cultural humility may benefit lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. Thus, the current study examined whether therapist cultural humility predicted stronger client-therapist working alliances in a sample of 333 LGB individuals. LGB identity centrality (IC; the extent to which a person's LGB identity is central to their overall identity) and LGB identity affirmation (IA; the extent to which an LGB person associates their sexual orientation with positive thoughts or feelings) were considered as moderators. Therapist cultural humility predicted stronger working alliances between LGB clients and their therapist; however, this association was not moderated by IC or IA. The present results suggest that LGB clients who rated their therapists as culturally humble toward their sexual orientation also reported stronger working alliances with their therapist, regardless of IC or IA. Lastly, exploratory analyses revealed that lower therapist cultural humility ratings were associated with greater sexual orientation acceptance concerns, internalized homonegativity, difficulties coming out, and sexual orientation concealment. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed. Future research should consider the benefits of therapist cultural humility for other gender and sexually diverse persons.

Appropriating the mythology of Satan as a god of carnality, modern Satanism began as a new religious movement in 1966 with the founding of the Church of Satan. Since then, the religion has experienced numerous schisms and factions, most recently with the formation of The Satanic Temple in 2012. Despite differences in the role of esoteric elements in the religion and other theological or governance reasons for division, Satanists are united in their shared values of sexual liberation and viewing sexuality as a form of authentic self-expression important to their religious beliefs. Conceptualizing Satanism as a non-dominant, sex-positive religion, sex and relationship therapists should understand how Satanists’ sexuality can benefit from a religious belief in sexual liberation, but can also be hindered by religious minority stress. The historical development of modern Satanism, the intersections of Satanism and gender, sexual orientation, and relationships, and guidelines for therapists working with Satanist clients are discussed.

Modern Satanism is an oft-misunderstood and stigmatized minority religion that has largely been viewed by mental health professionals through a lens of deviance. Understanding Satanists’ experiences with this stigmatized identity is absent in the current psychological literature. Conceptualizing Satanism within the minority stress and rejection-identification models, a nonrandom sample of 1,272 self-identified Satanists were surveyed about their strength of identity, anticipated discrimination, and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that aspects of Satanist identity (centrality and in-group ties) positively correlated with anticipated discrimination, and other aspects (in-group ties and in-group affect) negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Additionally, in-group ties moderated the relationship between anticipated discrimination and depressive symptoms, suggesting that Satanists who have social support from other Satanists are less affected by the depressive repercussions of anticipated discrimination. Implications for mental health professionals treating Satanists presenting with religious minority stressors and depressive symptoms are discussed.

Pornography’s effects on sexual minority men have not been extensively researched. Studies specifically examining its effects on body image in both heterosexual and sexual minority men have reported conflicting findings and have only used correlational and qualitative methods. This is this first known experimental study to investigate the impact of pornography on sexual minority men’s body image. Eighty-seven sexual minority men were recruited for an online study. Participants were randomly assigned to watch either a pornographic video or nature video, and then completed three questionnaires assessing male genital self-image, drive for muscularity, and social physique anxiety. Results indicated that participants exposed to pornography did not report greater social physique anxiety, greater drive for muscularity, or reduced genital body image compared to participants exposed to the nature video. Self-reported history of pornography use was not associated with scores on the body image measures utilized. These results contradict previous findings indicating a positive correlation between pornography use and body dissatisfaction in sexual minority men, and further research is needed to explore these discrepancies.

Prior research reported some segments of the sex worker population are at higher risks of negative health outcomes. Historically, these outcomes were viewed as a result of the work itself without taking into consideration the role of the stigma and often criminalization of the work that may be the contributing factors impacting distress. Therefore, drawing upon minority stress theory and affirmative therapy guidelines for the LGBT population, this article conceptualizes sex workers’ mental health through a lens of stigma and stigma management. From this conceptualization, the article presents competency, assessment, and treatment principles to serve as the basis for sex worker affirmative therapy. A case study detailing a sex worker’s struggles with boundary setting and establishing romantic relationships is presented to highlight how sex worker affirmative therapy can be applied in clinical practice.

Dating and maintaining romantic relationships can often be difficult for bisexual people due to binegativity and related negative stereotypes. The current study utilized an experimental design to investigate attitudes toward dating and being sexual with bisexual individuals. A convenience sample of 440 participants, including 224 heterosexual women, 120 heterosexual men, and 96 gay men was recruited to complete an online survey. Participants were shown seven cisgender male and seven cisgender female dating profiles with various sexual orientations. Participants rated each profile on measures of attractiveness and masculinity/femininity. Results indicated that heterosexual women rated bisexual men as less sexually and romantically attractive, less desirable to date and have sex with, and less masculine compared to straight men. No such differences were found for heterosexual and gay men’s ratings of female and male profiles, respectively. These results support previous research findings that indicate more negative attitudes toward dating bisexual men than bisexual women. The current study also provides further understanding as to how negative attitudes influence sexual and romantic attraction to bisexual individuals. Areas for future research are discussed.

Sex workers have reported a history of stigma associated with their identity and labor, which has resulted in numerous barriers to justice, social services, and healthcare. The current study aimed to experimentally investigate the effects of sex work stigma on observers’ victim blame and empathy toward sexual assault survivors. The participants included 197 undergraduate students from the Midwestern US who were randomly assigned to read a newspaper article reporting a sexual assault in which the victim’s identity was manipulated as a sex worker or a non-sex worker between the conditions. Results indicated participants assigned to the article describing the rape of a sex worker responded to the article with statistically less victim empathy and more victim blame than participants who read an article describing the rape of a non-sex worker. Integrating stigma theory and qualitative research on sex work stigma, the implications of the results demonstrate a significant barrier sex workers may face within the criminal justice system when reporting acts of violence against them. Recommendations for sex work decriminalization, changing the conversation of academic discourse on sex work, and educational initiatives are proposed to reduce the stigma of this marginalized population.

The current study assesses ageism and heterosexism relating to older adult sexual activity within long-term care facilities. To assess caregiver reactions, 153 residential care facility staff members read one of three vignettes. Each vignette described a scenario in which a staff member walks in on two residents (male/female, male/male, or female/female) engaging in sexual activity. Although no main effects were discovered for vignette type, exploratory analyses revealed that the facility where participants were employed was significantly related to their ratings of approval. Furthermore, an interaction effect between vignette and facility types was also discovered for caregivers’ approval of sexual activity among residents. Additionally, a strong overall approval rating of older adult sexuality was reported by staff members. The results of this study warrant that further research is necessary regarding older adults’ perception of caregiver bias, as well as further investigation of caregivers’ perceptions of older adults’ sexual activity.