Freedom and Healing: Did the Decriminalization of Homosexuality Impact the Mental Health of Gay Men in India? An Online Survey.

IF 2.4 4区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Homosexuality Pub Date : 2025-03-13 DOI:10.1080/00918369.2025.2475028

Geeta Soohinda, Prabhleen Singh Jaggi, Harshavardhan Sampath, Ankit Bhardwaj, Sanjiba Dutta

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: The decriminalization of homosexuality and the recent discussions on same-sex marriages by the Supreme Court of India in 2017 are expected to reduce stigma, increase societal acceptance, and encourage disclosure and subsequently, result in better mental health outcomes among LGBTQI+ individuals.

Methods: We conducted two online surveys on gay men (2015 and 2023 cohorts) from India before and after the repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. We compared the internalized homophobia (IH), depression, and suicidal behaviors between the 2015 and 2023 cohorts and determined whether IH would be associated with depression and suicidality irrespective of the legal status of homosexuality Results: Gay men in 2023 reported significantly lower levels of IH (t-value = -3.14, p-value .002) compared to those in 2015, while depression and suicidal behaviors did not show a significant difference. IH correlated significantly with depression and suicidal behaviors before and after the repeal of Section 377.

Conclusion: Our study highlights the relationship between internalized homophobia and adverse mental health outcome in Indian gay men. This relationship persists despite the landmark judgment that decriminalized homosexuality in 2017 followed by increased visibility and representation of sexual minorities in India.

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自由与疗愈：同性恋除罪化是否影响印度男同志的心理健康？在线调查。

引言：2017年，印度最高法院将同性恋合法化，并对同性婚姻进行讨论，预计将减少污名，增加社会接受度，并鼓励披露，从而改善LGBTQI+人群的心理健康状况。方法：我们在印度刑法典第377条废除前后对印度男同性恋者（2015年和2023年队列）进行了两次在线调查。我们比较了2015年和2023年两组人群的内化同性恋恐惧症（IH）、抑郁和自杀行为，并确定IH是否与抑郁和自杀行为有关，而不考虑同性恋的法律地位。结果：与2015年相比，2023年男同性恋者的IH水平显著降低（t值= -3.14，p值0.002），而抑郁和自杀行为无显著差异。在377条款废除前后，IH与抑郁和自杀行为显著相关。结论：本研究强调了印度男同性恋者的内化同性恋恐惧症与不良心理健康结果之间的关系。尽管2017年印度做出了具有里程碑意义的判决，将同性恋合法化，随后性少数群体的知名度和代表性也有所提高，但这种关系仍然存在。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Homosexuality Multiple-

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

164

期刊介绍： The Journal of Homosexuality is an internationally acclaimed, peer-reviewed publication devoted to publishing a wide variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship to foster a thorough understanding of the complexities, nuances, and the multifaceted aspects of sexuality and gender. The chief aim of the journal is to publish thought-provoking scholarship by researchers, community activists, and scholars who employ a range of research methodologies and who offer a variety of perspectives to continue shaping knowledge production in the arenas of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) studies and queer studies. The Journal of Homosexuality is committed to offering substantive, accessible reading to researchers and general readers alike in the hope of: spurring additional research, offering ideas to integrate into educational programs at schools, colleges & universities, or community-based organizations, and manifesting activism against sexual and gender prejudice (e.g., homophobia, biphobia and transphobia), including the promotion of sexual and gender justice.