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An Experimental Study of Vicarious Exposure to Heterosexism and Its Effects on Internalized Heterosexism-Based Processes Among Sexual Minority Young Adults

delete2025-04-01
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PRE
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E
Ethan H. Mereish *
R
Robert Miranda
DOI:10.1037/sgd0000831delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Leveraging a novel experimental heterosexism mood induction paradigm, this study tested the effects of vicarious exposure to heterosexism on internalized oppression-based processes (i.e., internalized heterosexism, heterosexism-specific rejection sensitivity, and sexual orientation rumination) among a sample of sexual minority young adults. Participants were 101 sexual minority young adults, aged 20-35 (M = 26.46 years old; SD = 3.49), who engaged in recent heavy drinking and were recruited from the community (51.5% female sex assigned at birth, 76.3% cisgender, 51.5% plurisexual, and 42.6% racial and ethnic minorities). They completed three experimental mood induction trials counterbalanced over three laboratory visits on different days: heterosexism stress, general stress, and neutral. The results indicated that the heterosexism stress condition produced more internalized heterosexism, heterosexism-specific rejection sensitivity, and sexual orientation rumination than the general stress and neutral conditions while controlling for demographic variables and exposure to structural heterosexism during adolescence. These effects were small to medium in their magnitude. Moreover, exploratory analyses indicated that these effects were somewhat larger among participants who resided in states with high structural heterosexism during adolescence. As further specificity, we documented no statistically significant differences between the general stress and neutral conditions. This study provides the first experimental evidence that exposure to vicarious heterosexism elicits internalized oppression-specific processes among sexual minority young adults. These novel findings extend and have implications for oppression-based stress and stigma models.
Keywords:
heterosexism
sexual minorities
internalized heterosexism
rejection sensitivity
rumination

Journal

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity cover
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
IF:
3.9
Papers:
495
Citations:
3.2K

Organization

A
American University
Scholars:
1.9K
Papers: 2.1K
Citations: 3.1K
University System of Maryland cover
University System of Maryland
Scholars:
6.4W
Papers: 5.6W
Citations: 112
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