TPC-Journal-V1-Issue3

The Professional Counselor \ Volume 1, Issue 1 219 Limitations This study contained methodological features which resulted in limitations. The major areas of limitations were (a) the sampling procedures and (b) generalizability. Sampling Procedures The initial 100-item Sexual Orientation Scale resulted from interviews with self-identified gay men who stated they were happy/satisfied as gay men. Only 30 men were interviewed. Although this number was an acceptable number, a larger number of men interviewed may have provided additional insights. Of this group of 30 men (participating in the development of the items for the Sexual Orientation Scale) from cities in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in South Texas, 90% were Hispanic college graduates. Being a Hispanic gay man in the RGV in South Texas is difficult. The machismo attitude is somewhat prevalent in this area. This, coupled with a strong Catholic belief about homosexuality makes life as a gay man very secretive in this area. Thus, it is important to note that the initial 30 subjects were men who are openly gay, educated, motivated, and obvious risk takers. The sample group, therefore, may not have represented the “typical” gay man in the United States. Moreover, a different or more thorough perspective about what is involved in the discovery process with respect to sexual orientation might have risen if there had been a more diverse group of gay men in terms of ethnicity and geographical area. The sample size ( N = 208) utilized for the statistical item analysis was small. Although acceptable for this study, a much larger sample would likely improve the scale’s reliability and validity. The sample in this study did not include women. Women were excluded because it was suspected that gay men and lesbian women experience a different discovery process and that a parallel, yet different study is necessary for females. Lastly, the two samples (gay/straight) are not actually directly comparable because, in essence, they were not selected in the same way. For example, a large percentage (65.4%) of the gay sample compared to 16.3% of the straight sample was enrolled in counseling. One can ascertain that most of the gay samples were selected from university counseling centers, mental health agencies, and the private sector. Contrastingly, the straight sample was selected from introductory psychology classes and from the membership of men’s groups (civic and/or support). Generalizability The generalizability of the results of this study is limited to men who are between the ages of 18 and 40 and who are either receiving counseling services from university counseling centers, mental health agencies, or the private sector, or who are in introductory psychology classes or members of men’s groups. The generalizability of this study is further limited to Hispanic and Caucasian men who met the research criteria. Recommendations The following are recommendations to either improve the present study’s design or identify areas for future research:  Obtain a more culturally diverse sample by including representatives of other ethnic groups along with representatives from the Hispanic and Caucasian groups. This would increase the potential of gathering different perspectives and insights as well as increase the generalizability of the results.  Utilize a larger more diverse sample in order to compare the reliability and validity data obtained in this study with other studies. A test re-test might be considered so as to verify the reliability of the Sexual Orientation Scale.  In order to minimize a client’s tendency to answer the way they think their therapist or counselor wants them to, a lie/consistency scale may need to be established for the Sexual Orientation Scale. This may be done by including items that emphasize the same information, but written in a different manner.