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Description
The true measure of a democracy is the way it treats its minorities. One minority is the LGBT community. Evidence suggests that people who identify as LGBT face workplace and social discrimination, marginalization and poorer mental and physical health outcomes, and even legal barriers (e.g., unrecognition of the same-sex unions). A recent European Commission (2014) survey showed that 53% of LGBT participants in RO felt discriminated against or harassed because of their sexual orientation. This problem is also experienced in the classroom, as 30% of RO LGBT students report feeling discriminated by teachers. Moreover, little is known on the interpersonal processes in contemporary RO, including the consequences of stigmatization and prejudice for LGBT people. As such, through its three objectives, the current proposal seeks to shed some light on this issue and find a way to reduce societal tensions. The core aim of the project, consists of implementing evidence-based interventions meant to improve the quality of life within the LGBT community. Thus, given that younger sexual minority individuals are most vulnerable to the negative effects of stigma on their mental and physical health, the second objective of this proposal centers on reducing teachers’ level of prejudices and negative attitudes toward LGBT persons through an experimental approach. We will aim at validating an online intervention designed to increase the ability of LGBT persons to cope with adverse events through self-acceptance and personal agency. By designing and implementing an internet-delivered prevention program based on acceptance and commitment principles, we aim at helping LGBT people who are at risk to become more resilient so that they will remain out of the clinical/diagnostic level of depression and anxiety. We will provide education services to decrease the negative attitudes towards LGBT in RO, mental health services for LGBT people to cope with potential adverse events.
Summary of project results
The LGBT community has historically faced marginalization, particularly in politically conservative Eastern European countries like Romania. This is reflected in negative attitudes towards marginalized groups, leading to various disadvantages for those who identify as LGBT, including higher susceptibility to psychosocial and socioeconomic challenges. These challenges may manifest as differences in income, workplace and social discrimination, poorer mental and physical health outcomes, and legal barriers such as lack of recognition for same-sex unions in many Eastern European countries, including Romania. Our project aimed to promote social inclusion for this community by addressing three key areas: 1) examining legal policies and societal attitudes toward the LGBT community, 2) developing an intervention to reduce LGBT prejudice targeting educators, who play a crucial role in shaping the views of future generations in Romania, and 3) creating and implementing an online intervention to alleviate minority stress among LGBT individuals and promote self-acceptance.
The project had three main objectives. The first objective was to assess the attitudes of the Romanian public towards the LGBT community and to study how the divergent progress of public attitudes towards LGBT individuals in Norway and Romania affects the social inclusion of LGBT people. This involved using both primary and secondary data analyses, as well as conducting a crossnational survey of over 1000 respondents for each country. The second goal was to create, test and implement an intervention that can help reduce prejudice among schoolteachers towards the LGBT community by exposing the teachers to testimonials from members of the LGBT community and providing them with the information and tools they need to reduce school bullying. The intervention (in both English and Romanian), as well as the resources given to participants can be found on our website. The third and final objective was to create and implement an intervention to improve the emotional well-being of members of the LGBT community by promoting self-acceptance, reducing self-stigma around sexual orientation, and increasing the sense of personal agency. A transcript of the intervention (both in English and in Romanian) can be found on our website
The project''s activities have resulted in benefits for three main categories of beneficiaries. Firstly, lawmakers and the general population can access and read the White Paper developed in WorkPackage 1 based off of the cross-cultural survey implemented. This paper examines the differences in opinions towards the LGBT community in Romania and Norway and identifies possible causes for the disparity in results. The White Paper also details a series of economic measures that can be taken by lawmakers, benefitting not only the LGBT community but the Romanian population as a whole. Secondly, the intervention developed in WorkPackage 2 has led to 175 teachers reducing their prejudice against the LGBT community, as well as increasing their knowledge and behavioral intention to help students in need. The intervention video and accompanying tools were sent out free of charge at the end of the intervention, benefiting additional pupils and educators. Lastly, the online intervention in WorkPackage 3 resulted in 15 LGBT participants improving their coping with adverse effects and experiencing significant decreases in clinical symptoms of depression, social phobia, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The online intervention is also available free of charge, so further therapists can use it in their practice.
Summary of bilateral results
The joint initiative also proved to be instrumental in strengthening bilateral cooperation by fostering enduring and robust relationships between the two collaborating organizations. With the successful completion of the project, several team members are eagerly anticipating initiating the creation of various research articles, thereby broadening the reach and impact of their collaborative efforts.