Internalized Homonegativity is Indirectly Associated with Smoking Status through Somatic Anxiety.

Objective: In this study, we examined how internalized homonegativity (IH), a non-adaptive cognitive response to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) minority stressors, related to the manifestation of somatic anxiety symptoms and reduced the likelihood of being a former smoker.

Methods: Participants (N = 77) smoked ≥ 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, some of whom successfully quit their use (N = 23 former smokers). The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale and the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety were used to assess IH and somatic anxiety.

Results: Current smokers experienced higher IH rates than former smokers (former = 0, current = 1; b = .65, p < .05). IH was positively associated with somatic anxiety (b = .17, p < .001), and the association between IH and smoking status was mediated through somatic anxiety (b = .17; CI = [.0002, .6539]).

Conclusion: One's experience with IH may be a risk factor for psychological distress and continued smoking. Current findings can aid in the development of future longitudinal or experimental studies to examine the causality between IH and somatic anxiety and include confounding variables.