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 & Findlay (2004) published this 17-item scale covering 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 receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- 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. No account or login needed.