Internalized Homonegativity Test (IHNI)

What Does the IHNI Measure?

The IHNI zeroes in on something specific: how a gay or bisexual man feels about being gay or bisexual on the inside. Not what society thinks — what he thinks about himself. Mayfield created this 23-item scale in 2001 to capture the different ways internalized homonegativity shows up.

Unlike simpler scales that treat internalized homonegativity as one thing, the IHNI breaks it down into three related but distinct dimensions.

Three Dimensions

1. Personal Homonegativity (11 items): Personal discomfort and negative feelings about being gay. The core of internalized homonegativity — shame, self-criticism, wishing you weren't gay. 2. Gay Affirmation (6 items): Positive feelings toward being gay and the gay community (reverse-scored). High scores mean less affirmation — someone who doesn't see being gay as something positive. 3. Morality of Homosexuality (6 items): Beliefs about whether homosexuality is morally wrong or acceptable. Taps into religious or cultural moral frameworks.

Scoring

6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 6 = strongly agree). Higher scores = greater internalized homonegativity. The Gay Affirmation dimension is reverse-scored before summing.

Practical Use

Used in research on sexual minority mental health, identity development, and the impact of minority stress. Higher IHNI scores are associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and lower self-esteem among gay and bisexual men.

Reference: Mayfield, W. (2001). The development of an internalized homonegativity inventory for gay men. *Journal of Homosexuality*, 41(2), 53–76.