Browsing by Author "Gomez, Fabiola"

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    Direct and Indirect Effects of Perceived Stigma on Posttraumatic Growth in Gay Men and Lesbian Women in Chile
    (2018) Cardenas, Manuel; Barrientos, Jaime; Meyer, Ilan; Gomez, Fabiola; Guzman, Monica; Bahamondes, Joaquin
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    Dyadic Invariance of the Positive Sexuality Scale in Chilean Heterosexual Couples
    (2021) Casu, Giulia; Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica; Espinoza-Tapia, Ricardo; Garrido-Rojas, Lusmenia; Barrientos, Jaime; Gomez, Fabiola
    Gender differences in sexuality-related dimensions have long been investigated in close relationship research. An important assumption when comparing values across gender in dyadic research is that both partners conceptualize the construct under investigation in the same way. Thus, issues of measurement invariance should be considered when working with dyadic data. The aim of the present study was to test the dyadic invariance of the Positive Sexuality Scale (PSS) to assess an individual's sense of happiness and fulfillment with his/her sexual expression. The PSS was completed by 166 Chilean heterosexual couples, and measurement invariance was tested using confirmatory factor analysis within a dyadic framework. Configural, metric, scalar, and partial strict measurement invariance were supported for the PSS original one-factor model. No between-partner difference was found in the PSS latent factor mean. The functioning of the PSS and the meaning attributed to positive sexuality were the same for both partners. Hence, variations in the PSS levels between both partners in heterosexual couples can be interpreted as true mean differences rather than measurement artifacts.
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    Health and wellbeing of sexual minorities
    (SOC MEDICA SANTIAGO, 2017) Barrientos, Jaime; Gomez, Fabiola; Cardenas, Manuel; Guzman, Monica; Bahamondes, Joaquin
    Background: Most of the information in Chile about health and wellbeing of sexual minorities refers to risk behaviors. Aim: To assess health and wellbeing in a sample of Chilean homosexual men and women. Material and Methods: Spanish versions of the Satisfaction With Life Scale and Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45) were answered by 191 homosexual women and 256 homosexual men aged 18 to 67 years, from four Chilean cities. Results: Lesbian women have better levels of satisfaction with life and adjustment in personal relationships than homosexual men. Eight percent of respondents had suicidal thoughts in some moment of their life. Conclusions: The information gathered in this work could help in the development of mental health policies for sexual minorities.
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    Internalized homonegativity moderates the association between attachment avoidance and emotional intimacy among same-sex male couples
    (2023) Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica; Gomez, Fabiola; Bahamondes, Joaquin; Barrientos, Jaime; Garrido-Rojas, Lusmenia; Espinoza-Tapia, Ricardo; Casu, Giulia
    IntroductionThe present study aimed to examine dyadic associations between attachment insecurity and emotional intimacy in same-sex male couples, and to investigate whether and how each partner's internalized homonegativity (IH) moderated these associations. MethodsThe sample included 138 same-sex male couples. Both dyad members completed self-report measures of attachment insecurity, emotional intimacy, and IH. The actor-partner interdependence model with moderation analysis was applied. ResultsIndicated that higher levels of actor's and partner's attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were associated with lower actor's emotional intimacy. IH moderated the partner effects of attachment avoidance on emotional intimacy. The partner's higher attachment avoidance was associated with one's own lower emotional intimacy at low (but not high) levels of one's own IH and at high (but not low) levels of the partner's IH. DiscussionFindings suggest that the partner's attachment avoidance may differently affect one's own emotional intimacy depending on the IH levels of both dyad members. Helping partnered sexual minority men decrease attachment insecurity while recognizing their own and their partners' IH may promote relationship quality.
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    Mental Health and Life Satisfaction on Chilean Gay Men and Lesbian Women: The Role of Perceived Sexual Stigma, Internalized Homophobia, and Community Connectedness
    (WORLD BANK INST, 2021) Gomez, Fabiola; Cumsille, Patricio; Barrientos, Jaime
    The Minority Stress Model has proposed that connectedness to a specific minority community may be a protective factor for stigmatized groups. This study evaluated the mediational role of connectedness with the gay men's and lesbian women's community on the relationship between two minority stressors (internalized homophobia and perceived sexual stigma) with anxiety-depressive symptomatology and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 467 Chilean self-identified as gay men (57%) and lesbian women (43%). Results revealed that the two minority stressors were associated with anxiety-depressive symptomatology, but only internalized homophobia was associated with life satisfaction. The mediation hypothesis was partially supported by the relationship between internalized homophobia and life satisfaction. Unexpectedly, we found a negative association between connectedness with the gay men's and lesbian women's community and life satisfaction. This finding introduces a view that contrasts with the literature, which proposes that connectedness with the specific community would be a protective factor against sexual stigma.
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    Numbing the perception of stigma: system justification decreases psychological distress by reducing perceived stigma among gay men and lesbians (Adormeciendo la percepcion del estigma: la justificacion del sistema disminuye el malestar psicologico mediante la reduccion del estigma percibido entre gays y lesbianas)
    (2020) Bahamondes, Joaquin; Gomez, Fabiola; Barrientos, Jaime; Cardenas, Manuel; Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica
    System justification theory posits that perceiving society as fair and legitimate provides palliative benefits to people who endorse such beliefs. Despite mixed evidence among socially disadvantaged groups, recent evidence shows that members of disadvantaged groups minimize perceptions of discrimination in order to reap palliative benefits. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of gay men and lesbians in Chile (N = 467). Specifically, we examined the effects of system justification on psychological distress, and the mediating role of perceived sexual stigma. As expected, system justification was negatively associated with psychological distress via minimizing perceptions of sexual stigma towards the in-group. Our study replicates previous results, and unveils a soporific mechanism of system-justifying beliefs: that of providing palliative benefits to sexual minorities' well-being by minimizing perceptions of their in-group as target of sexual stigma. Considerations for the well-being and status of sexual minorities and their unwitting compliance with heteronormativity are further discussed.
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    Perceived Emotional Impact of COVID-19 and Depressive Symptoms among Male Same-Sex Chilean Couples: Direct and Indirect Dyadic Associations through Relationship Satisfaction
    (2023) Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica; Barrientos, Jaime; Garrido, Lusmenia; Bahamondes, Joaquin; Gomez, Fabiola; Espinoza-Tapia, Ricardo; Casu, Giulia
    Stressors arising from the COVID-19 pandemic can spill over into the quality of couple relationships, with negative consequences on mental health. The mental health impact of COVID-19 might be particularly pronounced in disadvantaged populations such as LGBT people. This study aimed to examine direct and indirect dyadic associations between emotional impact of COVID-19 and depressive symptoms through relationship satisfaction in male same-sex couples. Using a cross-sectional design, 158 male same-sex Chilean couples completed self-report measures of the emotional impact of COVID-19, relationship satisfaction and depressive symptoms. We used the actor-partner interdependence mediation model for indistinguishable dyads to explore the direct and indirect dyadic associations. Results indicated that each partner's perceived emotional impact of COVID-19 was associated with his own higher depressive symptoms directly and indirectly, through his own lower relationship satisfaction. The other partner's perceived emotional impact of COVID-19 was associated with one's own higher depressive symptoms only directly. Our findings reinforce the notion that satisfactory couple relationships can act as a protective factor against depression in the LGBT population. Programs to promote adaptive coping strategies to deal with the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may have beneficial effects for the emotional adjustment of male same-sex couples, also by promoting relationship satisfaction.
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    Romantic Attachment and Relationship Satisfaction in Gay Men and Lesbians in Chile
    (2020) Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica; Barrientos, Jaime; Gomez, Fabiola; Meyer, Ilan H.; Bahamondes, Joaquin; Cardenas, Manuel
    Attachment theory has proven to be a solid framework for understanding couple bonds, but research focused on same-sex relationships among gay men and lesbian women from Latin America remains limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between romantic attachment and relationship satisfaction in a sample of Chilean gay men and lesbian women. A snowball sampling was used. The final sample consisted of 259 individuals involved in a same-sex couple relationship, ranging from 18 to 66 years of age (M = 27.2, SD = 6.8) for gay men and 18 to 57 years of age (M = 28.6, SD = 8.1) for lesbian women. Our hypotheses were partially supported, as there was a negative association between attachment avoidance and relationship satisfaction, but not between attachment anxiety and relationship satisfaction. We did not find a gender moderating effect. These findings may contribute to the understanding of lesbian and gay people in a same-sex couples relationship from an attachment theory perspective.
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    Sociodemographic Characteristics, Gender Identification, and Gender Affirmation Pathways in Transgender People: A Survey Study in Chile
    (2021) Barrientos Delgado, Jaime; Saiz, Jose L.; Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica; Bahamondes, Joaquin; Gomez, Fabiola; Castro, Manuel Cardenas; Espinoza-Tapia, Ricardo; Saavedra, Leonor Lovera; Giami, Alain J.
    Understanding the internal diversity of transgender communities is essential for developing optimal, inclusive policies and service provision. To date, research on this topic remains scarce in Chile. We conducted a survey study describing sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex assigned at birth, onset age, nationality, education, sex work, having a partner, having children, sexual orientation, religiousness, gender identification, and gender affirmation pathways). A snowball sample of 377 self-identified transgender adults living in Chile (M-age = 31.88, range(age) = 18-67) was collected for the purpose of this study. According to their sex assigned at birth, 139 participants were female and 238 male. Results revealed that sex assigned at birth was significantly associated with almost all the sociodemographic variables. Eight gender self-identification categories were obtained based on self-declaration. These gender identification categories varied according to sex assigned at birth. Finally, four patterns (clusters) of gender affirmative actions were identified among participants. These patterns indicated that the longer the gender affirmation pathway time, the greater the invasiveness level of the medical procedures used. Sex assigned at birth moderated the association between gender affirmation pathways and gender identity categories. Results were discussed highlighting the heterogeneity found in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, gender identification, and gender affirmation pathways.
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    The negative effects of internalized homonegativity on sexual satisfaction: dyadic effects and gender-based differences in Chile
    (2023) Bahamondes, Joaquin; Barrientos, Jaime; Guzman-Gonzalez, Monica; Garrido-Rojas, Lusmenia; Gomez, Fabiola; Espinoza-Tapia, Ricardo
    Heterosexism is not only expressed through sexual prejudice as an external stressor, but also as an internalized rejection toward one's own (and others') sexually diverse identity. That is, lesbian women and gay men themselves internalize negative societal attitudes toward their sexual orientation and identity-a phenomenon called internalized homonegativity. A wealth of research shows that internalized homonegativity negatively affects the health and social adjustment of gay and lesbian people. However, the literature has documented this trend from an individual (over a dyadic) perspective, and largely among gay (over lesbian) samples. To address this oversight, we analyzed data from 210 gay and lesbian couples in Chile to examine both actor and partner effects of internalized homonegativity on their sexual satisfaction. Results from moderation analyses from an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) approach show that partners' internalized homonegativity negatively affects actor sexual satisfaction, a pattern significantly moderated by gender; that is, only observed among lesbian couples. Our results further demonstrated that these effects hold above and beyond the actor and partner effects of age and relationship satisfaction, as well as relationship length. These results are consistent with the broader literature, which discusses the specific features of internalized homonegativity in lesbian women, characterized-among other aspects-by restrictive social demands over their sexuality. Accordingly, our findings highlight the deleterious relational consequences of internalized homonegativity and offer a relevant empirical contribution to the understanding of specific minority stress dynamics among lesbian women.