In contrast to distal stressors, proximal stressors are associated with identities that “vary in the social and personal meanings that are attached to them” (Meyer, 2003; p. 676–677). One such proximal stressor is self-stigmatization (Thoits, 1985), which involves a process of incorporating negative societal views of homosexuality into the self-concept. A review of self-stigmatization among sexual minorities—termed internalized homophobia—indicated significant relationships between self-stigma and adverse mental health outcomes (Williamson, 2000).
