An implicit measure of anti-gay attitudes: Prospective associations with emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress

Abstract

Members of stigmatized groups are at increased risk for mental health problems, and recent research has suggested that emotion dysregulation may be one mechanism explaining the stigma-distress association. However, little is known regarding characteristics that predict vulnerabilities to emotion dysregulation and subsequent distress. We examined whether anti-gay attitudes would predict poorer emotion regulation and greater psychological distress in 31 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) respondents. Respondents completed implicit and explicit attitude measures at baseline, and participated in an experience sampling study examining stigma-related stressors, emotion regulation strategies, and mood over the course of ten days. Implicit and explicit attitude measures were not correlated.LGB respondents with greater implicit anti-gay attitudes engaged in significantly more rumination and suppression and reported more psychological distress. Rumination fully mediated the prospective association between implicit prejudicial attitudes and psychological distress, and suppression was a marginally significant mediator.

Are Gender Differences in Self-Reported Rumination Explained by Women’s Stereotyping?

“…Until this process is more specifically modeled in future research, we are left to grapple with the possibility that this linkage is driven wholly or in part by some other third common factor (e.g., emotionality). However, consistent with the causal pattern we assume wherein attitudes drive reported rumination, Hatzenbuehler et al (2009) found that self-reported brooding rumination fully mediated the link between implicit anti-gay attitudes (as the initial predictor) and psychological distress among LGB respondents. Furthermore, to disentangle our confound, it will be informative to look at men's stereotyping of women (Do men, especially traditional men, expect women to ruminate more?)…”

Pathways Connecting Sexual Minority Stressors and Psychological Distress Among Lesbian Women

“…Higher scores reflected more brooding. The measure had good internal consistency (α = .85) in a sample of LGB individuals (Hatzenbuehler, Dovidio, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Phills, 2009). …”

The What, the Why, and the How: A Review of Racial Microaggressions Research in Psychology

“…According to the psychological mediation framework, stress comes first in the causal chain leading to physiological and psychological health outcomes (i.e., stress → psychological mediators → psychopathology). Furthermore, Hatzenbuehler et al (2009a, b) argue that distal stigma-related stressors affect psychopathology through cognitive, social/interpersonal, and emotional channels. In particular, he and his colleagues have shown through a series of experimental and longitudinal studies that stigma-related stress increases emotion dysregulation (e.g., increased rumination, engagement in impulsive behaviors), which in turn can lead to risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse problems among sexual minority individuals (e.g., Hatzenbuehler et al 2009a, b).…”

“…Furthermore, Hatzenbuehler et al (2009a, b) argue that distal stigma-related stressors affect psychopathology through cognitive, social/interpersonal, and emotional channels. In particular, he and his colleagues have shown through a series of experimental and longitudinal studies that stigma-related stress increases emotion dysregulation (e.g., increased rumination, engagement in impulsive behaviors), which in turn can lead to risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse problems among sexual minority individuals (e.g., Hatzenbuehler et al 2009a, b). Applying this model to microaggressions, racial microaggression may be conceptualized as a stressor that mediates the effects of the racial minority status on physical and psychological health outcomes (see Fig.…”