Participants Age: -50.29 ( SD =15.45) Ethnicity: -Black=42% -African American=42%

1. Examining Associations Between Lesbian Gender Expression and Mental Health Erin Nakamura, Chiamaka Okwu & Bianca Wilson, Ph.D. Department of Psychology College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach Aims Discussion Abstract Depression: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) (Radloff, 1977). -participants were asked to identify the number of days in the past week that they might have felt or behaved on various items. Ex: - “Feel that you could not shake off the blues even with help from your family or friends?” - “Feel bothered by things that usually don’t bother you?” - “Feel that everything you did was an effort?” This poster extends previous research on mental health and sexual orientation by comparing differences in mental health between three types of gender expression (butch/stud, femme and androgynous/all gender) within lesbian and bisexual women’s communities. The current study used data collected as part of  a community based health needs assessment conducted in the Bay Area (N=89). This study was exploratory because there are no prior studies on this topic and there are several potential competing hypotheses. Analyses of variance showed no significant differences in positive well being scores or depression scores among the gender expression categories. Future studies may want to explore separate predictors of mental health for masculine, feminine, and androgynous/all-gender lesbians. This study concluded that there were no statistically significant differences in mental health among gender expression categories within the lesbian community. However, the scores on positive well being were generally high and the scores on measures of depression were equally as low. Perhaps the stress experienced by Black lesbians and bisexual women stems largely from discrimination due to race, gender and sexuality, regardless of gender expression. Discrimination is commonly associated with affective, anxiety and substance abuse disorders, which are related to social stress (Dohrenwend, 2000: Kendler et al., 1995). This has lead to increased concern that because of social stigma, sexual minorities are at increased risk of developing psychological disorders (Fife & Wright, 2000: Markowitz, 1998). Further, studies on Black women in general tend to show high levels of resilience measured by the PWB, and perhaps that was evident in this sample as well. Although no significant finding in gender expression were found among this sample of Black lesbian and bisexual women, this study contributes to a new body of research that examines the specific needs of members within the LGBT community, rather than using heterosexual communities as the comparison group. In light of the lack of previous research in this area and reasonable expectation of competing hypotheses, no formal hypotheses were formulated. Instead, we assessed the following research questions: Research Question 1: Do women who identify as femme, androgynous/all gender, or butch/stud differ in regard to scores on positive well being? Research Question 2: Do women who identify as femme, androgynous/all gender, butch/stud differ in regard to scores on depression? Results Introduction Methods Descriptive Statistics: Participants Age: -50.29 (SD=15.45) Ethnicity: -Black=42% -African American=42% -Caribbean/ West Indian=2.5% -African=2.5% -Black biracial/multiracial=4.9% -Other=6.2% Gender roles: -Androgynous/all gender=55.9% -Butch/stud=14.6% -Femme=19.5% Procedures: These data were collected as part of a health needs assessment conducted by NIA, a Black lesbian and bisexual women’s community agency in the Bay Area. Paper and pencil surveys were administered during the November, 2007 3-day retreat sponsored by NIA in Monterey, California. Using convenience sampling techniques, surveys were distributed and participants anonymously dropped off completed surveys before leaving the retreat to a sealed box at the registration desk. The response rate was approximately 60%. The NIA Board of Directors gave permission for analysis of data and presentation. Table 1 Descriptive Statistics for Depression and Positive Wellbeing Previous studies focusing on female sexual orientation and mental health status have focused explicitly on lesbian and bisexual women’s lower mental health status in relation to heterosexual women’s mental health status (Owens, 2007:Diamant & Wold, 2003). However, research investigating variability on mental health within the lesbian and bisexual community has yet to be explored in great depth. The constructs within the lesbian community that we will examine are the traditionally dichotomous butch/stud and femme identities, as well as androgynous/ all gender. Butch/stud has been perceived as aesthetically masculine. Femme identities are commonly conceptualized as sensitive, feminine and warm (Sneed, 2002). Women that identify as androgynous or all gender typically exhibit characteristics that either gender neutral or a blend of both feminine and masculine, respectively. Given their prominence in many Black lesbian communities (Moore, 2007), these roles and their respective experiences are essential to establishing a deeper understanding of mental health. Because no one has examined this, it is unclear whether differences would exist. Yet, there are several plausible reasons differences could exist. For instance, a woman identifying as femme may experience less discrimination due to the perception that she conforms to gender role norms and thus have higher mental health status than butch/stud identified women. However, her assumed sexual orientation may put her at greater risk for depression because her lesbian identity and her perceived heterosexual identity are incongruent. A femme’s mistaken sexual orientation may increase feelings of obligation to disclose or defend her sexual orientation, potentially increasing her levels of depression or decreasing her wellbeing. On the other hand, a woman identifying as butch/stud may also experience low levels of positive well being as a result of the social stigma associated with homosexuality and gender nonconformity. Androgynous/ all-gender women may also experience increased rates of depression as a result of their fluid gender expression. In not identifying with the dichotomous roles, androgynous/all-gender women may feel pressure within their community to identify as butch/stud or femme. Future Research While this study did not find significant differences in scores among the gender expression categories, it is important that mental health providers not base their practices on this sole experiment. This data was collected from a group of self identified lesbian women who were part of a collective and had a strong social network. Therefore, the experiences of these women may not be reflective of all Black lesbian women. Future researchers may want to create a sample that ranges in levels of social support. Another confound may be a result of the majority of women in the sample were middle aged and identified as all gender (characteristics of both femme and butch/stud).  Perhaps using a younger sample, who are more likely to accept and adhere to distinct gender expression labels than middle aged adults, will show different results. Finally, there may not have been any differences in the actual mental health scores, but it is possible that the factors contributing to depression may be slightly different for each gender expression group. Future studies may want to explore separate predictors of mental health for masculine, feminine, and androgynous/all-gender lesbians. Analysis of variance showed no significant differences in scores on Positive Wellbeing and CES-D between the three groups, F(2,70)=.743,n.s. and F(2,60)=.662,n.s. respectively. Measures This study defines mental health in terms of positive wellbeing and depression in order to broaden the definition of mental health beyond solely mental illness. Well Being: Positive Wellbeing (PWB) (Ryff & Keyes,1995). Participants were asked to identify to what extent they agree or disagree with various statements (1-6). Ex: - “I like most parts of my personality” - “In many ways, I feel disappointed about my achievements in life”. - “I have confidence in my own opinions, even if they are different from the way most other people think”. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the NIA collective for participating in this survey. For more information Please contact erinmnakamura@gmail.com. More information on this and related projects can be obtained at www.csulb.edu/~bwilson/