Study of LGBQ Identity Development in Middle Eastern/Arab Americans Contact(s) for Research: aikizler@utk.edu, 301-706-4209 Description: I am a researcher conducting a study of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) Americans and immigrants of Middle Eastern or Arab descent. More specifically, this study will explore identity development as an ethnic and sexual minority person. Very limited data has been published thus far regarding the sexual minority identity development among Arab/Middle Eastern Americans; therefore this study aims to shed light on this population’s experiences. To be eligible to participate, you must be a lesbian, gay, or bisexual person (or someone who has experienced same-sex attraction, but does not label themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual) of Middle Eastern or Arab descent, living in the United States, and be at least 18 years of age. Participants interested in the study will be contacted to arrange for either a telephone, video conference (e.g., Skype), or face-to-face interview in a confidential setting. Prior to the interview, participants will complete a consent form and a demographic questionnaire. The interview will last approximately one hour and the demographic questionnaire will take about 5 minutes to complete. Also, in exchange for participating, you will be compensated with a $40 gift certificate for the interview. Your participation would help increase knowledge about sexual minority and Arab/Middle Eastern American identity. How to access research: If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact Ayse Ikizler at aikizler@utk.edu or by phone at 301-706-4209. If you have additional questions or concerns about the study, you may also contact the faculty advisor to this project, Dr. Dawn M. Szymanski at the University of Tennessee—Department of Psychology located at 1404 Circle Dr. Rm. 312, Knoxville, TN, 37996; (865) 974-3330 or dszymans@utk.edu. University Affiliation and IRB Review: The protocol (#8484-B) for this study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board for protection of human subjects at the University of Tennessee (http://research.utk.edu/humansubjects/).
Date of search process: May 2011 - May 2012