Associations Between Reading About Enacted Stigma, State Anxiety, and State Depression in Gay Men and Lesbians: Experimental Findings

Previous research has found that enacted stigma is linked to mental health symptoms in sexual minority individuals. This project experimentally tests whether reading about enacted stigma is associated with state symptoms in gay men and lesbians. In Study 1, N = 420 gay men read about enacted physical and sexual stigma (EPSS) directed at gay men or a control text. In Study 2, N = 451 lesbians read about EPSS directed at lesbians, enacted verbal stigma (EVS) directed at lesbians, or a control text. State anxiety and state depression were assessed in both studies. In Study 3, the control text was tested for neutrality in a sample with diverse sexual orientations. In Studies 1 and 2, state depression in gay men and lesbians and state anxiety in gay men were significantly higher after reading about EPSS compared to the control condition, with small to moderate effect sizes. No associations were found between EVS and state symptoms. Study 3 found lower state anxiety after reading the control text, with a small effect size. It can be concluded that reading about EPSS directed at sexual minority individuals was associated with state depression. Future studies should replicate these findings and examine how long associations persist. Additionally, a truly neutral control condition should be developed and validated.