Community Connectedness Mediates the Link Between Attachment Avoidance and Internalized Heterosexism
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: For sexual minorities, social connection with other sexual minorities plays an important role in managing minority stress (Detrie Lease, 2007; Meyer, 2003) and buffering the effects of internalized heterosexism (Mason, Lewis, Winstead, Derlega, 2015; J. Puckett, Levitt, Horne, Hayes-skelton, 2015). Disrupted social connection could explain why past studies found links between attachment avoidance â a discomfort with closeness and intimacy â and internalized heterosexism (Brown Trevethan, 2010; Mohr Fassinger, 2003). Using structural equation modeling, I tested whether community connectedness might mediate the link between attachment avoidance and multiple components of internalized heterosexism. In Study 1, attachment avoidance predicted higher internalized heterosexism, but this was fully mediated by the negative association between avoidance and community connectedness. Study 2 largely replicated these results, however, connectedness only partially mediated a link between avoidance and identity concealment. Thus, attachment avoidance may be linked to negative identity because avoidance hinders community connectedness.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Shayne Sanscartier
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3042052855