Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (LIHS)

Abstract

The Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (LIHS) is an 8-item, brief, self-report psychometric instrument developed by D. M. Szymanski and Y. B. Chung in 2001. Its primary function is to quantify the degree to which women identifying as lesbian or attracted to women have absorbed and accepted negative societal attitudes and stigma regarding their sexual orientation.

The LIHS operationalizes internalized homophobia as a multi-faceted construct encompassing specific manifestations such as self-hatred, self-disappointment, and the desire to change one’s sexual identity. This scale is fundamental for research utilizing minority stress theory, allowing clinicians and researchers to assess the psychological correlates and mental health outcomes, including psychological distress, associated with self-stigma among lesbian individuals.

Keywords

internalized homophobia, lesbian identity, self-stigma, psychological measurement, sexual orientation, psychometrics, minority stress, self-hatred, psychological distress, self-acceptance, heterosexism.

Authors

D. M. Szymanski, Y. B. Chung, K. F. Balsam

Purpose

The primary objective of the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (LIHS) is to provide a reliable and valid quantitative measure specifically focused on internalized negative attitudes related to lesbian identity. Prior to its development, existing measures often conflated general societal homophobia with the individual’s internalized acceptance or rejection of their own identity. The LIHS addresses this measurement gap by isolating and quantifying the psychological distress resulting from the acceptance of hostile anti-gay messages, which is a key component of the minority stress model.

By accurately assessing the level of internalization, the scale serves as a critical tool within academic research, particularly in counseling and social psychology. It helps researchers and clinicians understand how internalized stigma mediates the relationship between external stressors (such as discrimination or heterosexism) and adverse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, within the lesbian population. Ultimately, the scale facilitates the exploration of predictors and consequences of self-acceptance and positive identity development.

Construct

The LIHS measures the construct of Internalized Homophobia (IH), specifically tailored for women attracted to women. IH is theoretically defined as the process of directing negative societal beliefs and prejudice about homosexuality toward oneself. This self-directed negativity results in significant self-devaluation and acute emotional conflict regarding one’s sexual identity.

The eight core items of the scale capture the essential manifestations of this construct. These manifestations include explicit self-hatred for being a lesbian, feelings of shame or disappointment regarding lesbian desires, and the explicit wish to change one’s sexual orientation to heterosexual. The scale achieves a comprehensive assessment by including both positively and negatively worded items, ensuring it captures both the presence of internalized stigma and the degree of self-acceptance and pride, thus providing a nuanced picture of internal negotiation.

Validity

Initial validation studies conducted by Szymanski and colleagues (2001) provided robust evidence supporting the scale’s validity. The LIHS demonstrated strong construct validity, showing significant correlations in theoretically predicted directions. For example, higher LIHS scores correlated positively with increased general psychological distress, anxiety, and depression, while correlating negatively with measures of self-esteem and positive identity affirmation.

Furthermore, criterion validity was supported, as LIHS scores significantly predicted variance in key mental health outcomes, even after controlling for demographic variables. The scale also maintains high content validity, as its items were meticulously developed using a rational/theoretical approach. This ensured that the items directly reflect clinical and theoretical definitions of internalized homophobia relevant to the specific experiences of lesbian individuals, enhancing its relevance and clinical utility.

Reliability

The LIHS consistently exhibits high levels of internal consistency reliability, confirming that the eight items cohere effectively to measure a single underlying construct. In the original validation studies, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient typically ranged strongly in the high 0.80s and low 0.90s. This robust consistency suggests that the scale items are highly interrelated and provide a stable and consistent measure of internalized homophobia across different administrations within the target population.

While test-retest reliability data are less commonly reported in subsequent literature, the strong internal consistency supports the LIHS’s utility as a stable and reliable measure for use in cross-sectional research designs focused on minority stress and self-stigma dynamics.

Factor Analysis

The LIHS was developed based on the theoretical premise that internalized homophobia, as measured by these items, functions as a unitary phenomenon. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted during the scale development process strongly supported a unidimensional factor structure.

All eight items consistently loaded significantly onto a single, overarching factor. This finding empirically confirms the scale’s theoretical foundation and psychological conceptualization, indicating that internalized stigma operates as one coherent psychological construct rather than multiple distinct sub-factors. The clean, unidimensional structure simplifies scoring and interpretation, yielding a single total score that effectively reflects the overall level of internalized stigma experienced by the respondent.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale/Inventory

Format: 8 items administered using a 7-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English

Population Group: Lesbians and women attracted to women

Age Group: Adults (typically college-age and older)

Population Details: Developed and validated using diverse samples of self-identified lesbian women in North America.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their level of agreement with each statement using a 7-point Likert scale response format: 1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3=Slightly Disagree, 4=Uncertain, 5= Slightly Agree, 6= Agree, 7= Strongly Agree. The total score is calculated by summing the responses, with appropriate reverse scoring applied to the positively worded items (Items 2, 4, 5, and 7) to ensure that higher total scores reflect greater levels of internalized homophobia.

Keywords

internalized homophobia, sexual identity, psychometric scale, lesbian, self-acceptance, mental health, counseling psychology, minority stress theory, heterosexism, psychological measurement.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not publicly available in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not publicly available in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not publicly available in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (LIHS) was first published in 2001. As a tool primarily developed for academic research, permission for use is typically secured by contacting the primary author(s). Usage fees are generally waived for non-commercial academic and clinical research purposes, although proper formal citation of the original validation studies is mandatory.

The instrument’s original source material is archived and accessible via the Columbia University Academic Commons repository, ensuring broad access to the measure. The instrument can be accessed here: http://academiccommons.columbia.edu/catalog/ac%3A152578.

Reference’s

• Szymanski, D. M., & Chung, Y. B. (2001). The Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale: A rational/theoretical approach. Journal of Homosexuality, 41, 37-52.

• Szymanski, D. M., Chung, Y. B., & Balsam, K. F. (2001). Psychosocial correlates of internalized homophobia in lesbians. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34, 27-38.

• Szymanski, D. M. (2006). Does internalized heterosexism moderate the link between heterosexist events and lesbians’ psychological distress? Sex Roles, 54, 227-234.

• Szymanski, D. M., Kashubeck-West, S., & Meyer, J. (2008). Internalized heterosexism: Measurement, psychosocial correlates, and research directions. The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 525-574.

• Fisher, Lauren Dyan. (2012). Antecedents and outcomes of sexual orientation disclosure in the workplace among lesbians. Columbia University Academic Commons. Doctoral thesis.

Items of the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (LIHS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I hate myself for being attracted to other women.
2. I am proud to be a lesbian.
3. I feel bad for acting on my lesbian desires.
4. As a lesbian‚ I am loveable and deserving of respect.
5. I feel comfortable being a lesbian.
6. If I could change my sexual orientation and become heterosexual‚ I would.
7. I don’t feel disappointment in myself for being a lesbian.
8. Being a lesbian makes my future look bleak and hopeless.

Response Format: 1= Strongly Disagree‚ 2= Disagree‚ 3=Slightly Disagree‚ 4=Uncertain‚ 5= Slightly Agree‚ 6= Agree‚ 7= Strongly Agree