Internalized Heterosexism, Outness, Athletic Identity, and Perceived Stress Among Queer Female Athletes

Abstract

Unfortunately, few studies have examined the impact of this climate on female athletes with minoritized sexual identities. Most research pertaining to this population has been qualitative and largely focused on lesbian athletes (Fynes & Fisher, 2016; Stoelting, 2011). Consequently, more generalizable conclusions about queer female athlete experiences has been limited. The present study was an attempt to address this research gap, by assessing the internalized heterosexism, outness, athletic identity, and perceived stress of queer women competing at the college level. Two mediation models were proposed. The first situated internalized heterosexism as a mediator of the relationship between athletic identity and perceived stress. The second situated internalized heterosexism as a mediator between outness and perceived stress. Participants were recruited via online webpages and email advertisement. Only cisgender women over 18, competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and identifying with a minoritized sexual identity were eligible to participate.

Does coming out matter? A serial mediation model from outness to reduced psychological distress among Chinese gay men

“…Hoy‐Ellis (2016) found the mediating effect of internalized homonegativity between the concealment of sexual orientation and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Scott (2019) found internalized homonegativity as a mediator between the degree of overall outness and perceived stress among queer women. Similarly, we assume that for Chinese gay men, coming out can decrease their psychological distress through lowering internalized homonegativity.…”