Resumen de Mexican Psychologists and Psychology Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Monique Jiménez, Miguel Vázquez Rivera, Jason J. Platt, Caleb Esteban Reyes

• The lesbian and gay (LG) community in Mexico has faced a long history of homophobia and intolerance that invariably has influenced their interpersonal relationships with their families, friends and partners as well having an influence on mental health.  In preparing future generations of clinicians for work in Mexico, specific research on local LG communities will be invaluable for improving clinical training and addressing the clinical implications of homophobia. As a starting point, this study seeks to better understand current attitudes and levels of knowledge about gays and lesbians among Mexican psychologists and psychology trainees.  The participants were 15 practicing psychologists and 60 undergraduate psychology students (n=75) from Mexico City, Mexico. In the AGLP total scale, 2% (n = 1) had negative attitudes and 10.2% (n = 5) had ambivalent attitudes.  In the KAIGL total scale, 50% had low scores from 0 to 59 (n=10), 35% had low scores from 60 to 69 (n=7), and 15% had average scores from 70 to 79 (n=3). In general, participants demonstrated positive attitudes toward the LG community, even though there is still some ambivalence and anxiety about providing services to the LG population. Clinical and training implications are discussed.