Beliefs About the Need to Control One’s Thoughts and Cognitive Self-consciousness Are Associated with Sexual Stigma

Introduction: Sexual stigma has been found to be related to a variety of factors including age, ethnicity, religion, gender, and education. However, we still know relatively little about the association of cognitive constructs with homonegativity. In the current study, we aimed to explore the associations between metacognitions and sexual stigma among young adults. Methods: Five hundred thirty-eight individuals participated in the study. The following self-report measures were administered: Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men-Short Version (ATLG-S), Hudson and Ricketts Homophobia Scale (HRHS), and the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30). Pearson product-moment correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were run to explore the associations between ATLG-S, HRHS, and MCQ-30. Results: Negative beliefs about thoughts and beliefs about the need to control thoughts were correlated with ATLG-S and HRHS scores; however, multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that beliefs about the need to control thoughts and cognitive self-consciousness were associated with ATLG-S and HRHS scores after controlling for sociodemographic variables including age, gender, and education. Conclusion: We concluded that the beliefs about the need to control thoughts and cognitive self-consciousness may play a significant role in sexual stigma. Psychological techniques which are aimed at specific metacognitions and mindfulness may help reduce sexual prejudice among young adults.