Internalized heterosexism (IH) is a strong predictor of the psychological well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), or other same-sex attracted individuals. To respond to the call for interventions to address IH, the current study developed and tested an online intervention to reduce IH among gay, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted men. A total of 367 self-identified same-sex attracted adult males were recruited through various nationwide LGB-related sources and were assigned by birth month to either the experimental condition (focusing on IH reduction) or the control condition (a similarly structured invention focusing on stress management); 290 of these participants completed the intervention and all post-intervention measures. Mean levels of IH were compared by condition, indicating significant differences on the IH global score and 2 of the 3 IH subscale scores between the participants in the 2 conditions. The study findings support the promise of using the Internet to deliver IH interventions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Internalized binegativity (IB), negative attitudes and beliefs about one's own bisexuality, can develop from chronic exposure to binegative discrimination and prejudice and is associated with several negative mental health consequences. We developed and tested an online intervention following the Releasing Internalized Stigma for Empowerment (RISE) model (Lin, Israel, & Ryan, 2018) to reduce IB and to offer a novel means to access and treat bisexual people. We analyzed data from 641 bisexual adults recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) who were randomly assigned to the intervention or active control condition and asked to complete pretest and posttest measures. Four modules tailored for bisexual people, based on a review of relevant literature and expert feedback, comprised the intervention. The modules included: (a) a true/false quiz that challenged negative bisexual stereotypes with research evidence, (b) an activity where participants identified external sources of their binegative beliefs, (c) a biaffirming video and a writing exercise to express support for a bisexual person, and (d), presentation of positive aspects of being bisexual and biaffirming images. We used a posttest-only randomized controlled design with the intervention as the between-subjects factor. A series of one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs), controlling for covariates of identity concealment and self-esteem, revealed that the intervention was efficacious in reducing IB at a small effect size in addition to influencing related constructs. These results offer a promising contribution to accessible and targeted intervention efforts for reducing bispecific minority stressors. Future directions include examining acceptability, feasibility, implementation, and replication issues.
Public Significance StatementResults from our randomized controlled trial demonstrated that 4 online modules-comprised of activities using social psychology principles-conferred statistically significant and practically meaningful (e.g., effect sizes) changes in IB and related constructs compared with a control condition, supporting the efficacy of the intervention. Our findings demonstrate the viability of using online platforms to access and serve bisexual people, as well as the importance of considering bispecific aspects of minority stress when working with this highly vulnerable population.
Relatively few empirical studies have been conducted on parents' reactions to learning that their daughter or son is lesbian or gay, and very little is known about parents from outside the United States. Eight mothers in Taiwan participated in interviews regarding their reactions to learning about their daughter's or son's nontraditional sexual orientations and identities. In Taiwan, these sexual orientations and identities are collectively known as Tongzhi. Qualitative analyses suggested that participants generally accepted their child's Tongzhi orientation and identity. The mothers also reported having a close relationship with their Tongzhi child and were concerned about the negative biases against lesbian women and gay men in current Taiwan society. Implications of the findings were discussed.
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