Study:
Self-Perception Biggest Predictor of Gay Men's Health

A new study from the University of Minnesota has found that the more gay men experience internalized "homonegativity" (a negative attitude about being gay), the more likely they are to have poor mental and sexual health, according to Science Daily. The study showed that self-perception is what affects gay men's health -- not simply being gay.

Respondents included 422 Midwestern gay and bisexual men who completed surveys as part of an HIV prevention seminar designed to reveal the degree to which they were gay, the level of positive or negative perceptions they held about being gay, and the state of their mental and sexual health.

"In all cases, internalized homonegativity, not being homosexual, predicted poorer mental health (particularly increased depression) and worse sexual health," reports Science Daily. The findings appear in the September issue of the Journal of Homosexuality.

"This study is a missing link in our understanding of the relationship between sexuality and health," said Simon Rosser, a researcher at Minnesota's School of Public Health and the lead investigator of the study. "It provides new evidence that negative attitudes toward homosexuality, not homosexuality itself, are associated with both poorer mental and sexual health outcomes seen in sexual minorities. Conversely, positive attitudes toward homosexuality are associated with better mental and sexual health." (The Advocate)