Internalized Homophobia: A Systematic Literature Review

Florom-Smith, Aubrey

Monday, July 11, 2011

Aubrey Florom-Smith, BSN, RN
School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to state why the study of internalized homophobia among men who have sex with men is controversial among some scholars.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to explain potential reasons why internalized homophobia, sexual risk, and depression findings among men who have sex with men differ.

Purpose: Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be at great risk for acquiring HIV infection. Risky sexual behavior, possibly related to depression, accounts for most HIV infections among MSM. Internalized homophobia (IH) may influence sexual risk among some MSM. Controversy over the necessity of continued research into IH, sexual risk, and other factors influencing sexual risk, suggests IH requires further examination. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to investigate the influence of IH on sexual risk and depression among MSM.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using electronic databases to locate articles published between 2005 and 2010 relating to IH, sexual risk, and depression among MSM. Key words and selection criteria were employed to narrow the searches.

Results: The influence of IH on sexual risk and depression differs; IH may be associated with, or not related at all, to sexual risk and/or depression. These differences in influence may be attributable to differences in IH measures, definitions of sexual risk, and sample characteristics. Gaps in the IH, sexual risk, and depression literature exist; few recent studies have examined these constructs simultaneously among MSM, or among MSM living with HIV, or among young MSM of ethnic/racial minorities.

Conclusion: Further exploration of IH is necessary due to the inconsistency of findings related to the influence of IH on sexual risk and depression. Increased understanding of how and why the influence of IH on sexual risk and depression varies among different groups of MSM will help nurses identify potential points of entry for HIV prevention interventions among this highly at-risk group.

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