Michele J. Eliason

There is debate as to whether or not LGBTQ people should reveal their sexual and gender identities to health care providers, and whether revealing this information leads to better quality health care. This entry explores this debate and examines the barriers and facilitators to disclosure. But first, some definitions are in order. In general, LGBTQ people call the process of exploring, accepting, and revealing one’s sexual or gender identities (as LGBTQ or other similar labels) “coming out.” This is an ongoing unfolding of one’s own internal understanding of the meaning of these identities, and making decisions about who should know, how best to tell others, and how to manage the reactions of others. It can be an extremely stressful process because it is hard to predict ...

The purpose of this study to assess the psychometric qualities of a screening instrument for intimate partner violence, the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA), for use with incarcerated women. Principal components factor analysis was conducted on data collected from 149 incarcerated women. The ISA demonstrated excellent internal consistency with this population and appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument that can be given in a short period of time.

There is a pressing need in the substance abuse field for more comprehensive models of etiology and treatment that address the complex issues of addiction, including the biological, social, cultural, spiritual and developmental needs of individuals and groups. This article presents a theoretical framework for an integral approach to substance abuse that expands on the existing biopsychosocial model. One contribution of the model is an integrated approach to spirituality from a cross-cultural perspective. This integral approach examines substance abuse etiology and treatment from a four-quadrant perspective adapted from the work of Ken Wilber, and incorporates concepts from integrative medicine and transpersonal psychology/psychiatry. Implications of the model are explored.