Political Perspectives and Religiosity Contribute to Homonegative Attitudes Among Sicilian Psychologists

= 727) corresponded to 8% of psychologists registered in the region in 2021. When exploring participants' assumptions on the origin of homosexuality, a lack of knowledge on the topic of sexual diversity and its normal variations emerged. Moreover, 27% of participants partially or completely agreed that a professional should help a patient/client change their sexual orientation, despite the ban on conversion practices established by the Italian Psychologists Association. Participants describing themselves as religious and right-wing politically affiliated held higher levels of homonegative attitudes, beliefs, and opinions. Homonegative attitudes emerging from politically conservative and religious groups should be further explored to ascertain whether underlying constructs, such as authoritarianism, are determining the observed trends. These findings also evidence the need for more thoughtful training experiences that can help psychologists deconstruct negative stereotypes on sexual identities.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Homosexuality
Published
2026-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2026.2709459
Primary Topic
Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Political Perspectives and Religiosity Contribute to Homonegative Attitudes Among Sicilian Psychologists

Elisabeth Julie Vargo
Journal of Homosexuality
Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
article

Political Perspectives and Religiosity Contribute to Homonegative Attitudes Among Sicilian Psychologists

Elisabeth Julie Vargo
article en

Abstract

= 727) corresponded to 8% of psychologists registered in the region in 2021. When exploring participants' assumptions on the origin of homosexuality, a lack of knowledge on the topic of sexual diversity and its normal variations emerged. Moreover, 27% of participants partially or completely agreed that a professional should help a patient/client change their sexual orientation, despite the ban on conversion practices established by the Italian Psychologists Association. Participants describing themselves as religious and right-wing politically affiliated held higher levels of homonegative attitudes, beliefs, and opinions. Homonegative attitudes emerging from politically conservative and religious groups should be further explored to ascertain whether underlying constructs, such as authoritarianism, are determining the observed trends. These findings also evidence the need for more thoughtful training experiences that can help psychologists deconstruct negative stereotypes on sexual identities.

Journal of Homosexuality
Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (SE), York University (US)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
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