Research Opportunity

Hello, my name is Devin Simpkins, and I am a fourth-year student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program in the Department of Professional Psychology and Family Therapy at Seton Hall University.

I will be conducting a study to explore the impact that marriage and parenthood have on the perceived legitimization of same-gender male couple members for those who had adverse experiences upon coming out to their families.

To be eligible to participate in this study, you must:
1. identify as cisgender man
2. be legally married to another cisgender man
3. have an oldest child under the age of 6 living within the home
4. have had negative reactions or negative experiences related to disclosing your sexual orientation to family members
5. be fluent in English

If you are interested in participating in the study, you will be asked to complete a brief screening questionnaire to ensure your eligibility. If you meet the inclusion criteria for the study, you will be sent an informed consent form and demographic questionnaire; sample items on the demographic questionnaire include age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education level, occupation, and household income. Once these forms are completed, you will be invited to participate in an interview with me via Microsoft Teams at a time that is convenient for you. (Participants do not need to download Microsoft Teams or create a Teams account in order to participate.) The interviews will be audio and video recorded through Microsoft Teams. Interview questions include asking about how your family members reacted when they learned of your sexual minority identity, the ways in which you believe your partner may have been impacted by your ongoing relationships with your childhood caregivers, and why it was important to you to maintain relationships or reconcile with rejecting childhood caregivers.

The brief screening questionnaire is estimated to take about a minute. The estimated time for completion of the demographic questionnaire and informed consent form is 10-15 minutes. The anticipated duration of the interview is around 90 minutes.

Participation in the study is completely voluntary, and you may withdraw from the study at any time, without penalty. The study involves interviews, which will be audio and video recorded, meaning your participation will not be anonymous. However, research materials will only be viewed by members of the research team, and all identifying information will be changed to preserve the confidentiality of your identity.

All research materials, including the transcripts and demographic questionnaire, will be saved electronically within password-protected Microsoft OneDrive folders. The results of the study may be reported at conference presentations or published in academic journals, though identifying information will not be included.

If you wish to participate or have any questions, please contact the principal investigator, Devin Simpkins, at simpkide@shu.edu. Please feel free to forward this letter to individuals who may meet the eligibility criteria. Thank you!