Internalized Homonegativity Scale (IHN-17)
17 items | ~5 min | 5-point scale
How do you feel about being gay - not what society thinks, but what you actually feel inside? The IHN-17 measures internalized homonegativity across three domains: public identification, sexual comfort, and social comfort. 17 items, about 5 minutes.
What Does the IHN-17 Measure?
The IHN-17 looks at one specific question: how a gay or bisexual man feels about being gay on the inside. Not what society thinks -- what he actually feels. Currie, Cunningham and Findlay developed this 17-item scale in 2004 to capture internalized homonegativity across different areas of life.
Items cover how comfortable someone is with others knowing they are gay, how at ease they feel with same-sex intimacy, how they handle gay social situations, and what stereotypes they hold about gay men. These questions get at the attitudes a person has absorbed -- from family, culture, or religion -- that have become part of how they see themselves.
Scoring
All 17 items use a 5-point Likert scale (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree). Five items are reverse-scored (items 1, 3, 4, 5, 12). Total range 17-85.
- 17-44: Low internalized homonegativity -- good self-acceptance
- 45-65: Moderate -- may benefit from support
- 66-85: High internalized homonegativity -- significant distress risk
Population note
This scale was originally developed for gay men. If you are not a gay or bisexual male, the results may not apply the same way.
Reference
Currie, M. R., Cunningham, E. G., and Findlay, B. M. (2004). The Short Internalized Homonegativity Scale: Examination of the factorial structure of a new measure of internalized homophobia. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64(6), 1053-1067.
Scoring Guide
Total range 17-85. 5 reverse-scored items (1,3,4,5,12). Higher scores = greater internalized homonegativity. <45 Low, 45-65 Moderate, >65 High.Result Interpretation
After completing the 17 questions, you'll get a detailed results report right away:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. You don't need an account or login.