Internalized Homophobia, Intimacy, and Sexual Behavior among Gay and Bisexual Men

“The Korean-translated version of the 9-item IHP scale was included in the survey to measure how much LGB individuals internalize social stigma related to their sexual orientation (Lee et al., 2019; Meyer, 1995; Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Internalized stigma refers to "the gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self” (Meyer & Dean, 1998, p. 161; also referred to as sexual stigma; internalized homophobia, homonegativity or heterosexism; internalized oppression; and internalized inferiority; e.g., Herek et al.,…”

“Researchers Meyer and Dean (1998), for example, showed that gay men who reported experiencing high levels of mental illness were two to three times more likely to experience higher levels of internalized homophobia than those who did not.”

“Consequently, SMW who have experienced CSA may be more likely to be in a newer, less committed, ‘dating’ relationship than in a long-term relationship (Dennerstein et al., 2004; Knapp & Vangelisti, 2005; Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Meyer and Dean (1998) referred to it as ‘the gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self, leading to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor self-regard’ (p. 161).”

“Due to (1) experienced minority stress and increased vigilance towards the environment in minority group individuals (Meyer and Dean, 1998; Meyer, 2003), (2) higher rates of anxiety in trans people (Heylens et al., 2014), and (3) prior knowledge of an involvement of Cho in anxiety (Bjelland…”

“…homophobia is a significant predictor of shame, decreased self-regard, and self-devaluation, which can subsequently hinder the formation and maintenance of intimate relationships and lead to loneliness (Brown & Trevethan, 2010; Meanley et al., 2020; Meyer & Dean, 1998; Walch et al., 2016).”

“Internalized homophobia occurs when sexual minorities adopt negative attitudes towards themselves and subsequently devalue themselves due to sexual minority status (Meyer and Dean, 1998).”

“Such efforts are consequential because chronic sociocultural stress may compound the effects of more widely experienced social stressors, suggesting that the health of individuals of color might be at a heightened risk (Meyer 1995; Meyer and Dean 1998).”

“…have focused on the prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders and suicide attempts among gay men (Cochran and Mays, 2000a; Meyer, 1995; Meyer and Dean, 1995,1998; Fergusson, Horwood and Beautrais,1999; Remafedi, Farrow and Deischer,1991; Remafedi et al., 1998; Rotheram-Borus, Hunter…”

“Characteristically, internalized homophobia is pursued and promoted in Western cultures where most of the children are raised in heterosexual homes and are taught heterosexual values (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Internalized homophobia represents “the gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self” [3 p.161].”

“It is a context that devalues and discourages the formation and maintenance of same sex intimate relationships (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Adverse health disparities affecting sexual minority populations are often attributed to minority stress and other consequences of living in a socially hostile environment (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Some theories, such as minority stress, posit that social stress contributes to poor mental health through stigma, prejudice, and discrimination because of experiences hiding an identity, internalized homophobia, violence, and other coping mechanisms (Meyer, 2003, Meyer and Dean, 1998).”

“Specifically, internalized stigma (also identified as internalized homophobia) occurs when a SMM internalizes negative societal attitudes and biases about their sexual minority status (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Consistent with this notion, studies have shown that gay men in intimate relationships report lower levels of internalized homo - negativity (Liang & Huang, 2022 ; Meyer & Dean, 1998 ).”

“On top of the internalized homophobia that has been associated with depression and anxiety symptoms, substance abuse and suicidal ideation may explain the high rates of ER visits and hospitalizations in this relatively young population (8, 9).”

“…la práctica de alguna religión y estatus relacional (si actualmente se encuentran en una relación amorosa), actúen como moderadores de esta relación, ya que estas variables han sido identificadas como factores que influyen en el bienestar (Meyer & Dean, 1998, Pineda, 2013, Sánchez & Villain, 2009).”

“Secondly, internalized homopho-bia was measured with the 9-Item Internalized Homophobia Scale (Martin & Dean, 1987; Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“…expectations of rejection (Meyer 2003; Newcomb and Mustanski 2010; Pachankis 2007) to distal objective stressors including homophobic stigma and bullying, workplace discrimination, economic hardship, and relationship difficulties (Peralta 2008; Meyer and Dean 1998; Meyer 2003; Newcomb et al. 2019).”

“One possible factor is internalized sexual stigma (ISS) , defined as negative self-views due to internalization of stigma-tizing attitudes toward one’s own sexual identity (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“…their early lives due to discrimination, which could further lead to internalised homophobia—“the gay person’s direction of negative social attitude towards the self, leading to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor self-regard” (Meyer, 2003; Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Internalized homonegativity is defined as “the gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self” (Meyer & Dean, 1998, p. 161), which the individual then accepts and internalizes.”

“Internalized homophobia has been defined as a ‘‘gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self, leading to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor selfregard’’ (Meyer and Dean 1998, 161).”

“In another example, Meyer and Dean (1998) describe how a person who has failed to accept his or her homosexual orientation may experience persistent distress and be unable to adjust to a gay socio-sexual identity.”

“…o auto-estigma tem sido associado a uma menor satisfação sexual em relacionamentos românticos de homens gays, sendo de igual forma associado a relacionamentos com mais problemas, menos duradouros e sentidos como menos seguros (Dupras, 1994, Meyer & Dean, 1998, Šević, Ivanković, & Štulhofer, 2015).”

“Internalised homophobia can occur without a preceding stigmatising event, leading to feelings of poor self-worth and inferiority (Meyer, 2003; Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Internalized homophobia, defined as the extent to which a person internalizes discriminatory and prejudicial attitudes toward homosexuality into their self-image (Meyer & Dean, 1998), could influence gay and bisexual men’s procreative decisionmaking.”

“To varying degrees, sexual minorities accept the legitimacy of society's negative regard for LGBQ people, which leads to self-denigration, known as internalized heterosexism (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Drawing from established frameworks (e.g., James, 2022; Meyer & Dean, 1998), we suggest that the stress resulting from racism, heterosexism, and their intersections, can deplete coping resources, hinder self-regulation efforts, and trigger various stress responses, which can sometimes lead to…”

“Individuals struggling with this specific form of internalized homophobia might have trouble accepting both themselves and others (Frost & Meyer, 2009; Meyer & Dean, 1998), resulting in complex psychological processes that the other subscales might not fully capture.”

“…and forming relationships have been more restricted, and sometimes even impossible, for sexual minority adolescents and emerging adults due to the policies criminalizing same-sex sexual behavior (before 2003) and prevailing negative attitudes toward homosexuality in the U. S. (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“…homophobia and minority stress have a negative overall impact on emotional communication by curtailing intimacy in romantic relationships (e.g., Meyer & Dean, 1998), undermining the experience of relationship quality (Frost et al., 2022), weakening commitment and impeding relationship…”

“Internalized homonegativity includes “the gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self, leading to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor self-regard” (Meyer & Dean, 1998, p. 161).”

“Certain studies have revealed associations between high levels of internalized homonegativity and poorer sexual health behaviors, as well as lower levels of sexual satisfaction (Dew & Chaney, 2005; Henderson et al., 2009; Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“It is known as a lifelong stressor, as harmful self-beliefs and self-identities are learned among sexual minority people from adolescence through adulthood (Meyer & Dean, 1998; Meyer, 2003).”

“The scale was previously used in national and international settings and among a wide variety of respondents, including diverse racial/ethnic minorities with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and demonstrated high validity and acceptable internal consistency (Meyer & Dean, 1998; Xu et al., 2017).”

“This inward direction of negative social views can generate self-devaluation, poor self-regard, internal conflicts, and psychological distress (Meyer & Dean, 1998).”

“Internalized homonegativity is conceptualized as “the gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self” (Meyer & Dean, 1998, p. 161) and reflects the assimilation and accommodation of these negative attitudes in the identity structure (Maa-touk & Jaspal, 2023).”

“…the experiences of other minority groups, such as individuals involved in CNM (Moors et al. 2021), is described as the “direction of negative social attitudes toward the self, leading to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor self‐regard” (Meyer and Dean 1998; p. 161).”

“This is commonly referred to as self-stigma, internalized homophobia, or internalized heterosexism (Herek et al., 2007; Herek et al., 2009; Meyer & Dean, 1998; Weinberg, 1972).”