Percepções de homens gays brasileiros acerca da homofobia internalizada e qualidade de vida

Abstract

This dissertation investigates internalized homophobia (IH) and its relationship with quality of life (QoL) among Brazilian gay men, using a cross-sectional design with age groups linked to different stages of the life course. Grounded in Minority Stress Theory, it is premised on the understanding that IH is not a static or homogeneous psychological phenomenon, but a dynamic, contextual, and multilevel process whose repercussions vary according to life stage and socioeconomic conditions. A progressive mixed-methods approach was adopted, structured around four complementary studies. Study 1, a meta ethnographic review of 11 studies, identified two organizing axes of IH, a proximal one (mental health, self-image, sexual orientation disclosure, HIV status) and a distal one (stigma, discrimination, socioeconomic context), showing that higher IH levels are consistently linked to poorer QoL in the literature. Study 2, involving 136 participants, revealed that the experience of homophobia changes across the life course: Group 1 (18-29 years) associated it with fear and restricted access to public spaces; Group 2 (30-49 years), with family rejection and professional barriers; and Group 3 (50 years or older), with isolation and social invisibility. Study 3 showed that the very conception of QoL is generationally situated, organized into five dimensions (health, social relationships, leisure, safety, autonomy) that carry distinct priorities depending on age group. Study 4, with 138 participants, empirically tested these relationships: IH was negatively associated with the psychological and social relationships domains of QoL, with no significant association found for the physical and environmental domains, even after sociodemographic control. Income emerged as a moderator with a dual effect: it attenuated the impact of social oppression but intensified the effect of internalized stigma, contradicting the common assumption that higher income protects against internalized prejudice. The integration of these findings supports a three-level interdependent model (individual, relational, and structural) crossed by the life course, broadening, without rupturing Minority Stress Theory. It is concluded that IH constitutes a critical and dynamic psychosocial factor for the QoL of Brazilian gay men, with generationally distinct expressions that require combined responses at the clinical, community, and public policy levels.