Gay = STIs? Exploring gay and lesbian sexual health stereotypes and their implications for prejudice and discrimination

HIV/AIDS stigma accumulation among people living with HIV: a role of general and relative minority status

The main objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between selected sociodemographic factors (i.e. sexual orientation, gender and AIDS status), and the level of HIV/AIDS stigma among people living with HIV (PLWH). The participants were 663 adults with a medically confirmed diagnosis of HIV infection, undergoing antiretroviral treatment. Their level of HIV/AIDS stigma was assessed with the Berger HIV Stigma Scale, and relevant sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained using a self-report survey. The main effect was revealed only for sexual orientation and total stigma; those with heterosexual orientation declared higher levels of total stigma than those with other sexual orientations. For the subscales, significant results were obtained only for disclosure concerns. Namely, for the interaction of gender and sexual orientation, the highest level of disclosure stigma was declared by heterosexual women, while there was no such relationship for men. This result was further modified when AIDS diagnosis was added to the interaction. There is a cumulative effect of PLWH minority statuses, rather than main effects of each status individually. Thus, each minority status should be analysed from at least two perspectives, general (i.e., compared to the general population) and relative (i.e., compared to the population in question).

Knowledge of Adult Sexual Orientation Influences Perceptions of Adult-Child Interactions

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a highly prevalent concern that carries lifelong consequences for the survivor. Many instances of CSA may be prevented when people correctly recognize precursory behaviors to abuse; however, research has shown that people's biases color their perceptions of behavior. Past research demonstrated sexual and gender minority adults are more likely to erroneously be seen as predators and face harsher consequences compared to straight adults. The current study examined how knowledge of adults' sexual orientation influenced perceptions regarding the nature of adult-child interactions. Participants in the current study read a series of vignettes describing interactions between adults and children where the adult sexual orientation (straight male, gay male) and the gender of the child (male, female) were manipulated. Participants then indicated whether they believed the behavior to be predatory or innocuous. Participants were less likely to recognize dangerous behaviors when the adult was described as a straight man interacting with a male child, suggesting that harmful adult-child interactions are more likely to go undetected in these instances.

An experimental study using a sexual strategies explanation to reduce homophobia toward gay men among lay people and healthcare professionals in China

Introduction

Homophobic discrimination and stigmatization, especially from healthcare professionals, are important stressors for gay men. Homophobia may be partly rooted in seeing some gay men having casual sex and many sexual partners as a signal of mental problems. Sexual Strategies Theory (SST) suggests that such sexual behavior is a result of different sexual strategies men and women tend to adopt and is unrelated to sexual orientation per se. This study aimed to investigate (1) the effectiveness of providing an SST explanation for gay men's sexual behavior in reducing homophobia among both lay persons and healthcare professionals; (2) differences in homophobia between healthcare professionals and lay people and also between medical and non-medical professionals.

Methods

The main analyses included 492 heterosexual participants recruited online via Chinese social media and sample services in 2021. Of these, 227 were healthcare professionals (128 medical, 99 non-medical) and 265 were lay people. The participants were randomly assigned into an experimental group given the SST explanation (n = 126), an active control group given a Minority Stress (MS) explanation (n = 184), and a control group (n = 182). After the manipulation, homophobia, knowledge about homosexuality, professional homophobic attitude, gay affirmative practice, and contact with gay men were assessed.

Results

The results of factor analysis suggested dividing homophobia into Oppressing Homophobia (Oppressing HP) describing believing that gay men should have fewer rights and Pathologizing Homophobia (Pathologizing HP) describing believing that the sexual behavior of gay men is a signal of mental problem. Importantly, the SST explanation reduced Pathologizing HP while the MS explanation reduced Oppressing HP. Healthcare professionals reported more Oppressing HP than lay people, and medical professionals conducted less gay affirmative practice than non-medical professionals.

Conclusion

An SST explanation can potentially reduce some aspects of homophobia among both healthcare professionals and lay people. Also, worryingly, Chinese healthcare professionals, especially medical professionals, reported more homophobia than lay individuals.

Stigmatization of Consensual Non-Monogamous Partners: Perceived Endorsement of Conservation or Openness to Change Values Vary According to Personal Attitudes

Studies have shown that romantic partners in consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are targets of stigmatization. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms and the conditions under which such stigmatization occurs. In two experimental studies (combined N = 772), we asked participants to read the description of two partners in a relationship (monogamous vs. open relationship vs. polyamorous) and make a series of judgments about those partners. Overall results showed that CNM (vs. monogamous) partners were perceived as less trustworthy and as having more sexual health concerns (Studies 1 and 2), and as being less committed and less sexually satisfied (Study 2). Results from a conditional mediation analysis (Study 2) further showed that participants with negative attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy perceived CNM (vs. monogamous) partners as having less conservation and more openness to change values, which was then associated with more stigmatization. In contrast, participants with positive attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy perceived CNM (vs. monogamous) partners as having more openness to change values, which was then associated with less stigmatization. Taken together, these results extended the literature focused on prejudice, discrimination, and stigmatization of minority groups and highlighted key elements that can be used to buffer stigmatization.

Internalized Homophobia and Suicide Ideation Among Sexual Minority Adults: The Serial Mediation of Core Self-Evaluations and Depression

Internalized homophobia (IH) is the endorsement of negative attitudes and stereotypes about sexual minority individuals among those who are LGBQ + . However, although IH is associated with suicide ideation, the underlying mechanisms of this association are relatively understudied. To address this limitation, this research investigates Core Self-Evaluation (CSE; one's fundamental evaluations about themselves, their own abilities, and their own control) and depression as underlying mechanisms associating IH with suicide ideation. CSE comprises four traits: self-esteem, locus of control, emotional stability, and generalized self-efficacy. An online survey was completed by 404 sexual minority adults (Mean_age = 27.42 years, %Female = 51.50, %Male = 30.40, %Trans Female = 3.2, %Trans Male = 5.4). Participants were recruited via Prolific, an online crowdsourcing platform. Four serial mediation analyses examined the direct and indirect effects of IH on suicide ideation via each CSE trait and depression symptoms. Results showed support for the CSE-depression mediated pathway. Self-esteem, emotional stability, and general self-efficacy (but not locus of control) mediated the relationship between IH and suicide ideation via depression symptoms. Across three serial mediations, greater IH was associated with lower (1) self-esteem, (2) emotional stability, and (3) self-efficacy; lower self-esteem, emotional stability, and self-efficacy were associated with greater reported depression symptoms, which were then associated with greater suicide ideation. This research has implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms that associate IH with poor mental health among sexual minority adults. Studying the social and psychological mechanisms can help develop therapeutic interventions that target suicide ideation and promote positive self-evaluations among sexual minority individuals.