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The Internalized Homophobia Scale for Vietnamese Sexual Minority Women: Conceptualization, Factor Structure, Reliability, and Associations With Hypothesized Correlates

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Abstract

We developed the first Vietnamese Internalized Homophobia (IH) scale for use with Vietnamese sexual minority women (SMW). Drawing from existing IH scales in the international literature and based on prior qualitative research about SMW in the Viet Nam context, the scale covers two domains: self-stigma (negative attitudes toward oneself as a sexual minority person) and sexual prejudice (negative attitudes toward homosexuality/same-sex relations in general). Scale items, including items borrowed from existing scales and items based on local expressions, were reviewed and confirmed by members of the target population. Quantitative evaluation used data from an anonymous web-based survey of Vietnamese SMW, including those who identified as lesbian (n = 1187), or as bisexual (n = 641) and those who were unsure about their sexual identity (n = 353). The scale was found to consist of two highly correlated factors reflecting self-stigma (not normal/wholesome and self-reproach and wishing away same-sex sexuality) and one factor reflecting sexual prejudice, and to have excellent internal consistency. Construct validity was evidenced by subscale associations with a wide range of hypothesized correlates, including perceived sexual stigma, outness, social support, connection to other SMW, relationship quality, psychological well-being, anticipation of heterosexual marriage, and endorsement of same-sex marriage legalization. Self-stigma was more strongly associated with psychosocial correlates, and sexual prejudice was more associated with endorsement of legal same-sex marriage. The variations in these associations across the hypothesized correlates and across sexual identity groups were consistent with the minority stress model and the IH literature, and exhibited context-specific features, which are discussed.

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Notes

  1. In developing the IHNI, Mayfield (2001) generated items based on these two conceptualized domains. Factor analysis separated the items into three groups, with two dimensions mapping on to global homonegativity and personal homonegativity, and a third dimension (termed gay affirmation) that included all positively worded items about positive attitudes toward one’s own homosexuality as well as toward homosexuality in general. It appears to us that this factor may represent a homo-positivity construct that is different from the inverse of IH.

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Acknowledgments

The survey was primarily funded by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE). Instrument development was partially funded by Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) through doctoral research grants to TQN. TQN’s time was supported by the Sommer Scholarship Program and the Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program (NIDA Grant T-32DA007292, PI: C. Debra M. Furr-Holden) at JHSPH. The authors are grateful for the tremendous implementation support by staff and volunteers of iSEE and the ICS Center, the effective collaboration by websites for Vietnamese sexual minority women, the contribution of the survey respondents, and helpful suggestions from three anonymous reviewers.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Room 896, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Trang Quynh Nguyen

  2. Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Trang Quynh Nguyen, Danielle German & Amy R. Knowlton

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Trang Quynh Nguyen & Karen Bandeen-Roche

  4. Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment, Ha Noi, Viet Nam

    Trang Quynh Nguyen & Nam Thi-Thu Nguyen

  5. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Tonia Poteat

  6. The ICS Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

    Yen Hai Nguyen & Loan Kieu-Chau Vu

  7. Health Policy and Strategy Institute, Ha Noi, Viet Nam

    Nam Thi-Thu Nguyen

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  1. Trang Quynh Nguyen
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Nguyen, T.Q., Poteat, T., Bandeen-Roche, K. et al. The Internalized Homophobia Scale for Vietnamese Sexual Minority Women: Conceptualization, Factor Structure, Reliability, and Associations With Hypothesized Correlates. Arch Sex Behav 45, 1329–1346 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0694-6

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