For heterosexuals, internalized stigma is manifested as negative attitudes toward sexual minorities, or sexual prejudice. This phenomenon has also been labeled homophobia, homonegativity, and heterosexism.

For sexual minority individuals, internalized stigma can be directed both inward and outward. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people typically grow up learning the tenets of sexual stigma and applying them to others. Thus, like heterosexuals, they are capable of holding negative attitudes toward other sexual minority individuals. In most cases, however, such prejudice is probably secondary to negative attitudes that they harbor toward themselves and their own homosexual desires. This self-directed prejudice – which is based on the individuals’ acceptance of and agreement with society’s negative evaluation of homosexuality – is referred to here as sexual self-stigma. It has also been labeled internalized homophobia, internalized heterosexism, and internalized homonegativity.

Measuring Sexual Self-Stigma

A 5-item measure of sexual self-stigma has proved to be reliable and valid. It is derived from the 9-item Internalized Homophobia (IHP) scale (Meyer, 1995) which, in turn, was adapted for self-administration from interview items originally developed by John Martin and Laura Dean. The items were originally derived from the diagnostic criteria for ego-dystonic homosexuality contained in the 3rd edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (1980).

Early research indicated that the self-administered version of the IHP had acceptable internal consistency and correlated as expected with relevant measures (Herek & Glunt, 1995). In a subsequent study, it was administered to 75 women and 75 men recruited at a large lesbian/gay/bisexual street fair in Sacramento (CA). (Of the 150 questionnaires, 3 were discarded because of excessive amounts of missing data, leaving 147 questionnaires, 74 from women and 73 from men.) The items were administered with a 5-point response scale, ranging from disagree strongly to agree strongly. In this sample, alpha = .71 for women and .83 for men.

Men scored significantly higher than women on the IHP, and bisexuals scored significantly higher than homosexuals (Ms = 14.79 for gay men, 19.91 for bisexual men, 11.68 for lesbians, and 16.87 for bisexual women). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) yielded significant main effects for sex (F (1, 138) = 14.66, p < .001) and sexual orientation (F (1, 138) = 15.89, p < .001). The sex-by-orientation interaction effect was not significant. As expected, most respondents scored at the lower extreme of the IHP scoring continuum. One-half of the lesbian respondents scored 9 or 10, whereas one-half of the gay male respondents scored between 9 and 13 (the theoretical range for scores was from 9 to 45). Bisexuals' scores were somewhat less skewed: Median scores were 17 for bisexual women and 19 for bisexual men.

XXXX DESCRIBE 2009 RESULTS XXXX Sexual Self-Stigma (IHP) Scale Items
(Women's Version)

1. I have tried to stop being attracted to women in general.*
2. If someone offered me the chance to be completely heterosexual, I would accept the chance.*
3. I wish I weren't lesbian/bisexual.*
4. I feel that being lesbian/bisexual is a personal shortcoming for me.*
5. I would like to get professional help in order to change my sexual orientation from lesbian/bisexual to straight.*
6. I have tried to become more sexually attracted to men.
7. I often feel it best to avoid personal or social involvement with other lesbian/bisexual women.
8. I feel alienated from myself because of being lesbian/bisexual.
9. I wish that I could develop more erotic feelings about men.

Note. For male respondents, the terms lesbian, men, and women were changed to gay, women, and men, respectively.

*Items marked with an asterisk comprise the Revised IHP (IHP-R). The IHP-R correlates highly with the 9-item IHP and appears to be more appropriate for administration to bisexuals and lesbians, as well as gay men. Results from research with the IHP-R are reported in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (Herek et al., 2009).

References

1. American Psychiatric Association (1980). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
    
2. Herek, G.M., Cogan, J.C., & Gillis, J.R. (2000) Psychological well-being and commitment to lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities. Paper presented in G.M. Herek (Chair), Identity, community, and well-being among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
    
3. Herek, G. M., Cogan, J. C., Gillis, J. R., & Glunt, E. K. (1998). Correlates of internalized homophobia in a community sample of lesbians and gay men. Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 2, 17-25.
    
4. Herek, G. M., & Glunt, E. K. (1995). Identity and community among gay and bisexual men in the AIDS era: Preliminary findings from the Sacramento Men's Health Study. In G. M. Herek, & B. Greene (Eds.), AIDS, identity, and community: The HIV epidemic and lesbians and gay men (pp. 55-84). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    
5. Meyer, I. H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 38-56.
    

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