Implicit internalized homophobia in India: Cognitive and sociodemographic factors

Abstract

Introduction

With societal homophobia decreasing globally, exploring implicit internalized homophobia has become relevant as it is a cognitive and psychological phenomenon. Hence, we explored the relationship between implicit internalized homophobia and psychological inflexibility.

Method

Male and female LGB participants (n = 112) were recruited via online groups. Computerized tests were used to measure the variables and the data was analyzed using appropriate tests.

Results

While both groups showed positive attitudes toward homosexuality, males had higher implicit internalized homophobia as compared to females. However, there was no significant relationship between implicit internalized homophobia and psychological inflexibility.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that certain factors protect and reduce the risk of internalization of bias in the Indian LGB community.

Keywords:

• LGB
• implicit internalized homophobia
• psychological inflexibility
• decentering
• experiential avoidance

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mr. Tanmay Thomas for his contributions in designing the survey tool. We would also like to thank the participants of this study and our peers and colleagues for their support.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC Project No. : 404/2019) and we have also registered the same on the CTRI website (CTRI/2019/09/021088).

Funding statement

The authors received no specific funding for this work.