The Presence of Self-Stigma,Perceived Stress,and Suicidal Ideation among Selected LGBT Filipinos

Minority group members experience what is known as “minority stress,” by which individuals suffer stress because of their membership in stigmatized social categories. In turn, minority stress may lead to self-stigmatization. This occurs when minority group members experience a sense of shame created by the view of the majority culture and then incorporate the majority opinion into their self-image. Because it is cumulative with the stress an individual is already experiencing, self-stigmatization may become a significant stressor itself, possibly contributing to the development of suicidal ideation. A total of 609 self-identified LGBT individuals were asked to answer a battery of psychological tests to assess the interrelationships between self-stigma, perceived stress, and suicidal ideation. As expected, perceived stress predicted suicidal ideation, whereas self-stigmatization predicted both perceived stress and suicidal ideation. Structural equation modeling confirms the predictive value of self-stigma together with perceived stress in determining the suicidal ideation present among LGBT Filipinos. Self-stigma exerted a direct effect upon suicidal ideation not accounted for by perceived stress.