The Role of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance in Predicting Proximal Minority Stressors among Gay and Lesbian People in Italy

Abstract

As has been widely documented, minority stress affects the psychosocial well-being of gay and lesbian people. Recently, researchers have turned their attention to psychological factors that may influence the level of minority stress experienced, in order to explain individual differences in perceptions of proximal minority stressors. The present research aimed at assessing the effect of attachment avoidance and anxiety on levels of perceived stigma and internalized homonegativity. A total of 163 participants who self-identified as lesbian or gay (Mage = 32.56, SD = 10.87) were recruited and responded to the self-report questionnaires. Two multiple regression models were applied to assess the association between adult attachment and perceived stigma and internalized homonegativity. Results showed a positive association between attachment anxiety and avoidance and internalized homonegativity, as well as between attachment avoidance and perceived stigma. The emerging results demonstrate the impact of attachment anxiety and avoidance on proximal minority stressors and provide useful data for interventions addressing lesbian and gay people aimed at promoting security-based strategies of affect regulation and positive representations of self and others, which in turn may reduce the level of proximal minority stressors experienced and promote psychosocial well-being.