Internalized homophobia was assessed with a 9-item measure adapted for self-administration from interview items originally developed by John Martin and Laura Dean. Following Meyer (1995), we refer to these items as the IHP scale. The IHP items were originally derived from the diagnostic criteria for ego-dystonic homosexuality contained in the 3rd edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (1980). Our own previous research has indicated that the self-administered version of the IHP scale has acceptable internal consistency and correlated as expected with relevant measures (Herek & Glunt, 1995). Items were administered with a 5-point response scale, ranging from disagree strongly to agree strongly. For the community sample, alpha = .71 for women and .83 for men.

Men scored significantly higher than women on the IHP measure, and bisexuals scored significantly higher than homosexuals (Ms = 14.79 for gay men, 19.91 for bisexual men, 11.68 for lesbians, and 16.87 for bisexual women). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) yielded significant main effects for sex (F (1, 138) = 14.66, p < .001) and sexual orientation (F (1, 138) = 15.89, p < .001). The sex-by-orientation interaction effect was not significant. As expected, most respondents scored at the lower extreme of the IHP scoring continuum. One-half of the lesbian respondents scored 9 or 10, whereas one-half of the gay male respondents scored between 9 and 13 (the theoretical range for scores was from 9 to 45). Bisexuals' scores were somewhat less skewed: Median scores were 17 for bisexual women and 19 for bisexual men.

Internalized Homophobia Scale Items
(Women's Version)

1. I have tried to stop being attracted to women in general.*
2. If someone offered me the chance to be completely heterosexual, I would accept the chance.*
3. I wish I weren't lesbian/bisexual.*
4. I feel that being lesbian/bisexual is a personal shortcoming for me.*
5. I would like to get professional help in order to change my sexual orientation from lesbian/bisexual to straight.*
6. I have tried to become more sexually attracted to men.
7. I often feel it best to avoid personal or social involvement with other lesbian/bisexual women.
8. I feel alienated from myself because of being lesbian/bisexual.
9. I wish that I could develop more erotic feelings about men.

Note. For male respondents, the terms lesbian, men, and women were changed to gay, women, and men, respectively.

*Items marked with an asterisk comprise the short-form IHP-5, which was reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (Herek et al., 2000). The IHP-5 correlates highly with the 9-item IHP and appears to be more appropriate for administration to bisexuals and lesbians, as well as gay men. A report of results from research with the IHP-5 is currently being prepared for publication.

References

1. American Psychiatric Association (1980). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
    
2. Herek, G.M., Cogan, J.C., & Gillis, J.R. (2000) Psychological well-being and commitment to lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities. Paper presented in G.M. Herek (Chair), Identity, community, and well-being among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
    
3. Herek, G. M., Cogan, J. C., Gillis, J. R., & Glunt, E. K. (1998). Correlates of internalized homophobia in a community sample of lesbians and gay men. Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 2, 17-25.
    
4. Herek, G. M., & Glunt, E. K. (1995). Identity and community among gay and bisexual men in the AIDS era: Preliminary findings from the Sacramento Men's Health Study. In G. M. Herek, & B. Greene (Eds.), AIDS, identity, and community: The HIV epidemic and lesbians and gay men (pp. 55-84). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    
5. Meyer, I. H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 38-56.
    

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