Esther Rothblum, Professor Emerita
Email: [email protected]
Esther Rothblum received her B.A. from Smith College, her M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Rutgers University, and her post-doctoral fellowship in psycho-social epidemiology from Yale University. She was editor of Women & Therapy (for 12 years), Journal of Lesbian Studies (for 26 years), and Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society (for 12 years). Her research and writing have focused on LGBT relationships and mental health as well as the stigma of weight. She has edited 27 books, including Lesbian Friendships, Preventing Heterosexism and Homophobia, Boston Marriages: Romantic But Asexual Relationships Among Contemporary Lesbians, Lesbians in Academia, and Loving Boldly: Issues Facing Lesbians. She was president of Division 44 (Society for the Psychological Study of LGBT Issues) of the American Psychological Association, and is a Fellow of seven divisions of APA.
Are you looking for a pdf of one of my publications? View my interactive c.v., search for the article or book chapter, and when you click on that it will take you to the pdf of that publication.
Latest Book
Rothblum, Esther (Ed.). (2020). The Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health. Oxford University Press
Areas of Interest: My research and writing over the past years have focused on women's mental health and relationships with a specific focus on (1) sexual orientation, (2) the stigma of weight and (3) academic procrastination. All articles and book chapters are accessible in my interactive c.v.
Sexual Orientation
My research has focused on methodological issues, including factors unique to lesbians as well as ways that gender and sexual orientation intersect. I like to do projects that compare lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) to their heterosexual siblings. There has been little research on sexual orientation that uses appropriate comparison groups, and I began this methodology in order to study the feasibility of using siblings for demographic and mental health comparisons.
A major longitudinal project compared lesbian and gay couples one, three, and twelve years after they were united in a civil union during the first year this legislation was available in Vermont with their same-sex friends who did not have civil unions, and with their married heterosexual siblings. I am also part of the National Lesbian Longitudinal Family Study that has followed lesbians who had children via donor insemination in the mid-1980s into the present.
I am also interested in ways that lesbians connect with each other in non-sexual ways. I have published an edited book on lesbian ex-lovers and an edited book on lesbian communities, and investigated ways that lesbians, bisexual women, and heterosexual sisters define their communities.
Fat Studies
I have conducted research on weight and employment discrimination, women’s weight in an international context, and the ways in which fat women cope with the stigma of weight.
Procrastination
A former research area of mine focused on academic procrastination, fear of failure, and risk-taking. I am still receiving many reprint requests for this research.
Click here for a copy of the PASS (Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students)
Click here for PASS scoring instructions
Rothblum, E.D., & Solovay, S. (2009). The Fat Studies Reader.NY: New York University Press.
Rothblum, E.D., Weinstock, J.S., & Morris, J.F. (1998). Women in the Antarctic. NY: Haworth Press.
Mintz, B. & Rothblum, E. D. (1997). Lesbians in academia.Routledge Press.
Weinstock, J. S., & Rothblum, E. D. (1996). Lesbian friendships.New York University Press.
Rothblum, E. D. & Bond, L. (1996). Preventing heterosexism and homophobia. Sage Publications.
Rothblum, E.D., & Brehony, K.A. (Eds.) (1993). Boston marriages: Romantic but asexual relationships among contemporary lesbians. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.
Franks, V., & Rothblum, E.D. (Eds.) (1983). The stereotyping of women: Its effects on mental health. NY: Springer Publishing Company.
The following were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Lesbian Studies and reprinted in book form by Harrington Park Press, the book affiliate of Haworth Press:
Rothblum, E.D., & Sablove, P. (2005). Lesbian communities: Festivals, RVs and the Internet.
Weinstock, J.S., & Rothblum, E.D. (2004). Lesbian ex-lovers: The really long-term relationships.
Gartrell, N.K., & Rothblum, E.D. (2001). Everyday mutinies: Funding lesbian activism.
Rothblum, E.D. (1997). Classics in lesbian studies.
The following were originally published as special issues of the journal Women and Therapy and reprinted in book form by Harrington Park Press, the book affiliate of Haworth Press:
Hill, M., & Rothblum, E.D. (Eds.) (1998). Learning from our mistakes: Difficulties and failures in feminist therapy. Haworth Press.
Hill, M., & Rothblum, E.D. (1996). Couples therapy: Feminist perspectives.
Hill, M., & Rothblum, E.D. (1996). Counting Costs: Classism and Therapy.
Davis, N., Cole, E., & Rothblum, E.D. (1996). Lesbians and their therapy.
Chesler, P., Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (1995). Feminist foremothers.
Hamilton, J.A., Jensvold, M.F., Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (1995). Psychopharmacology from a feminist perspective.
Cole, E., Erdman, E., & Rothblum, E.D. (1994). Wilderness therapy for women: The power of adventure.
Davis, N.D., Cole, E., & Rothblum, E.D. (Eds.) (1993). Faces of women and aging.
Cole, E., Espin, O.M., & Rothblum, E.D. (Eds.) (1992). Refugee women and their mental health: Shattered societies, shattered lives.
Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (Eds.) (1991). Professional training for feminist therapists: Personal memoirs.
Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (Eds.) (1990). Women's mental health in Africa.
Brown, L., & Rothblum, E.D. (Eds.) (1989). Overcoming fear of fat.
Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (Eds.) (1989). Loving boldly: Issues facing lesbians.
Cole, E., & Rothblum, E.D. (Eds.) (1988). Closing the circle of sexual knowledge: A woman's view.
Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (Eds.) (1988). Treating women's fear of failure: From worry to enlightenment.
Rothblum, E.D., & Cole, E. (Eds.) (1986). Another silenced trauma: Twelve feminist therapists and activists respond to one woman's recovery from war.