Internalized Sexual Stigma in Italian Lesbians and Gay Men: The Roles of Outness, Connectedness to the LGBT Community, and Relationship Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

The authors examined the extent to which outness, connectedness to the LGBT community, and relationship satisfaction could be used to predict internalized sexual stigma scores. A total of 279 Italian lesbians (47%) and gay men (53%) in a same-sex relationship for at least six months completed the web-based survey. Significant correlations were found between outness, connectedness, relationship satisfaction, and internalized stigma. Analyses of variance were conducted on demographic variables to explore group differences. Multivariate regression analysis suggests that demographic variables, outness, connectedness, and relationship satisfaction combined accounted for 32.8% of the variance in overall internalized sexual stigma. Clinical implications are discussed.