Identity Resilience, Community Connectedness, and Sociosexuality Among Gay and Bisexual Men: The Mediating Effect of Internalized Homonegativity

Gifford, Anthony J. and Jaspal, Rusi (2026) Identity Resilience, Community Connectedness, and Sociosexuality Among Gay and Bisexual Men: The Mediating Effect of Internalized Homonegativity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23 (3). p. 358. ISSN 1660-4601

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Abstract

Sociosexuality refers to the proclivity to engage in casual sex without commitment and is generally operationalized in terms of attitudes, behavior, and desire. Moving beyond the dominant focus on sexual risk and pathology in studies of sociosexuality, this study conceptualizes sociosexuality as a positive psychological variable that reflects the enactment of sexual identity among gay and bisexual men. Using cross-sectional correlational survey data from 512 gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom, the direct associations between sociosexuality and identity resilience and LGBT+ community connectedness, and indirect associations through the mediation of internalized homonegativity, were examined. Results showed that identity resilience was indirectly associated with higher sociosexuality via decreased internalized homonegativity, and that LGBT+ community connectedness was directly and positively associated with sociosexuality and indirectly via decreased internalized homonegativity. The findings suggest that the adaptive self-schema of identity resilience and the adaptive relational schema of community connectedness may militate against internalized homonegativity, which in turn may facilitate sociosexuality among gay and bisexual men. Interventions to support sexual identity enactment should therefore focus on developing these adaptive schemas.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.3390/ijerph23030358
Dates:	Date Event 11 March 2026 Accepted 12 March 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	identity resilience, community connectedness, internalized homonegativity, sociosexuality, gay and bisexual men
Subjects:	CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-01 - psychology (non-specific)
Divisions:	Life and Health Sciences > Psychology
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	17 Aug 2026 11:46
Last Modified:	17 Aug 2026 11:46
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17167

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