The protective role of identity integration against internalized sexual prejudice for religious gay men.

Abstract

Identification with multiple, seemingly incompatible identities has been linked to poor psychological well-being outcomes, including shame and guilt. However, the outcome of internalized sexual prejudice (ISP) has received scant attention in identity-conflict literature. The present study investigated the identityconflict management strategy of identity integration as a protective factor against ISP in men who identify as both gay and religious. Additionally, this study explored the role of religious comfort and religious conflict in ISP, and whether gay-religious identity integration acts as a moderating variable for these relationships. The results of an online survey of 178 gay Australian men (M age = 29.32 years, SD = 10.46) were analyzed using a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis. As predicted, greater gay-religious identity integration predicted lower levels of ISP. Unexpectedly, religious comfort was positively related to ISP, and religious conflict was unrelated to ISP. Gay-religious identity integration was found to moderate these effects, demonstrating the protective influence of identity integration and multiple group membership against negative psychological outcomes in religious gay men. This study challenges the assumption that religious and sexual minority identities are dichotomous, emphasizes the benefits of multiple group membership, and may offer a foundation for further inquiry into the influence of gay-religious identity integration.

Internalized Sexual Stigma and Mental Health Outcomes for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Asian Americans: The Moderating Role of Guilt and Shame

“…For example, ISS was correlated with neither depression or self-esteem in lesbians [62], nor depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation in bisexual women [63]. These rather contradictory results may be due to protective factors that can conceal the relationship, such as strength-based factors (e.g., resilience) and identity integration (see [42]).…”

“…Although an action or transgression can engender both feelings, shame in particular is often viewed as a reflection of an underlying sense of worthlessness or defectiveness [16,40]. In samples of gay men, guilt and shame have been reported to be independently related to poorer mental health [41], a failed ability to integrate sexuality with religion [42], and it mediates the relationship between intrapersonal identity stresses and binge eating [11,43].…”

Religious/spiritual struggles and life satisfaction among sexual minorities.

“…This study underscores the complexities that often characterize sexual and gender minorities' intersecting sexual, gender, and R/S identity development. For sexual and gender minorities, religion/ spirituality commonly functions as both a source of resilience and as a source of risk for minority stress (Anderson et al, 2021;Lefevor, Etengoff, et al, 2022). There remains a critical need for research on how multilevel stigma intersects with sexual, gender, and R/S identity development, especially insofar as such research helps reduce potential trauma, keep R/S sexual and gender minorities alive (Gibbs & Goldbach, 2015), and reduce the mental health disparities that worldwide LGBTQ+ communities continue to experience.…”

“…For sexual minorities who grow up in R/S cultures, families, or communities, their multilevel experience of stigma can interact with their identity development in multivalent ways. On the one hand, multilevel stigma can impede or stagnate their identity exploration, development, and integration (Anderson et al, 2021; Fahs & Swank, 2021). For instance, as they recurrently encounter hetero- and cis-normative R/S teachings and stigmatizing relational interactions, they gradually internalize sexual and transgender stigma (Herek & McLemore, 2013; White Hughto et al, 2015).…”