Mental Health and Life Satisfaction on Chilean Gay Men and Lesbian Women: The Role of Perceived Sexual Stigma, Internalized Homophobia, and Community Connectedness

ABSTRACT

The Minority Stress Model has proposed that connectedness to a specific minority community may be a protective factor for stigmatized groups. This study evaluated the mediational role of connectedness with the gay men’s and lesbian women’s community on the relationship between two minority stressors (internalized homophobia and perceived sexual stigma) with anxiety-depressive symptomatology and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 467 Chilean self-identified as gay men (57%) and lesbian women (43%). Results revealed that the two minority stressors were associated with anxiety-depressive symptomatology, but only internalized homophobia was associated with life satisfaction. The mediation hypothesis was partially supported by the relationship between internalized homophobia and life satisfaction. Unexpectedly, we found a negative association between connectedness with the gay men’s and lesbian women’s community and life satisfaction. This finding introduces a view that contrasts with the literature, which proposes that connectedness with the specific community would be a protective factor against sexual stigma.

KEYWORDS:

• Internalized homophobia
• life satisfaction
• connectedness
• gay men
• lesbian women
• sexual stigma
• mental health

Acknowledgments

Fabiola Gómez acknowledges support from Technology project CONICYT-PCHA/Doctorado Nacional/2015-folio #21150018. Patricio Cumsille acknowledges support from Centre for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies, COES ANID/FONDAP/15130009. Jaime Barrientos acknowledges support from FONDECYT grant 1140887.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.