The current study examines the association between perceived sexual orientation discrimination and indicators of well-being in a sample of 362 gay men and lesbian women. Although there are several important differences between gay men and lesbians, whose stigma is not inherently visible, and those with more visible stigmatizing conditions, research regarding perceptions of discrimination and outcomes for ethnic minorities and women is used as a basis for deriving hypotheses suggesting that the experience of sexual orientation discrimination on the job would be associated with reduced well-being, and that social identification and social support would moderate the heterosexism---well-being relationships, indicating a 'buffering' effect against detriments to well-being associated with discrimination. Perceptions of direct discrimination against gays and lesbians on the job were found to be related negatively to life satisfaction, and positively to depression and anxiety. Perceptions of indirect heterosexism, behaviors and features of context which stem from inappropriate assumptions that all employees are heterosexual, were related positively to anxiety symptoms. Relationships between indirect heterosexism and anxiety, life satisfaction, and self-esteem were moderated by some aspects of social support, such that more social support was associated with weaker relationships between heterosexism and well-being indicators. However, no aspects of social support moderated the relationships between direct heterosexism and indicators of well-being. In contrast to results reported in previous studies of ethnic minorities, strength of social identification did not moderate any of the heterosexism---well-being relationships. Limitations of this study and implications of the results are discussed / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_26090 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Contributors | Deitch, Elizabeth Ann (Author), Landis, Ronald S (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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