"WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?": EXAMINING INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND COGNITIVE INFLEXIBILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF MINORITY STRESS

The present study aims to investigate belief inflexibility as a cognitive signature associated with individuals who experience more internalized homophobia (IH). In addition, the study evaluates the role of multiple minority stress as related to internalized homophobia among sexual and gender minority (SGM) Chinese immigrants in the United States. This presentation utilizes 2 separate study samples: 1) self-report of IH and task performance on the Interpretation Inflexibility Task (IIT) were collected through an online sample of SGM individuals (N = 196); and 2) levels of IH, other minority-related stressors (eg, perceived discrimination and experienced racism) and protective factors (eg, resilience) were collected through a sample of SGM Chinese young adults in the United States (N = 258). IH is explained by an individual’s general cognitive inflexibility, specifically the ability to incorporate negative new information in revising existing beliefs. In the case study of SGM Chinese young adults in the United States, greater levels of IH were significantly associated with racism and perceived discrimination. Protective factors, such as community connectedness and resilience, showed inverse correlation with IH. Our study highlights the association between IH and underlying cognitive inflexibility, suggesting the need for general cognitive skills training (eg, cognitive restructuring) in challenging internalized stigma. Our findings also revealed the role of minority stress in reinforcing internalized stigma. In particular, protective factors such as community connectedness may help buffer the stress experienced by individuals with multiple minorities.