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At the request of the Journal Editor and SAGE Publishing, the following article has been retracted.
Santero, P. L., Whitehead, N. E., and Ballesteros, D. 2018. “Effects of Therapy on Religious Men Who Have Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction”. Linacre Quarterly. DOI: 10.1177/0024363918788559
The journal is retracting the article based on unresolved statistical differences. Specifically, after receiving questions about the article, the editor determined that a statistical review of the paper, which was recommended during peer review, had not been conducted. The editor commissioned the statistical review after receipt of the questions. The statistical review identified the following concerns regarding the methodology followed in the article:
No common intervention was given to participants that would allow for a valid conclusion to be drawn.
The paper did not establish a demonstrated relationship between the intervention and the survey that measures the intervention in that the paper did not clearly address whether all respondents were treated according to the same (or similar) protocols and for the same periods of time, and/or by therapists of like or similar training and expertise.
The chi-square test requires groups that are similar and the reported variation in the treatment times and modalities in this study is significant, rendering the chi-square test absent a control group (which was not present in this study), an invalid measure.
The authors submitted additional support for the statistical treatment of the data in the original submission. In response to the above concerns regarding methodology, the authors replied:
The only uniformity needed and employed, was SOCE and therapeutic involvement. Chi-square compares an observed numerical distribution with any distribution chosen by the researcher and does not need other uniformity than the foregoing.
The Editor considered this information and the authors’ response and concluded that in spite of this additional information, the original review still required retraction of the paper.
The Journal Editor and SAGE Publishing wish to emphasize that the retraction is not based on any action taken by the authors but only the statistical concerns outlined above, and they regret that the concerns identified by the statistical review were not addressed prior to publication of the article.
Biographical Notes
Paul L. Santero, PhD, is a therapist at Thomas Aquinas Clinic, Encino, California.
Neil E. Whitehead, PhD, is a semi-retired earth scientist at Whitehead Associates.
Dolores Ballesteros, PhD, is a retired educational academic at Southern California Seminary.
