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Interaction of Socio-structural Characteristics Predicts Identity Concealment and Self- Esteem in Stigmatized Minority Group Members

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Abstract

The present research investigated the relationship between socio-structural characteristics of intergroup differences, identity concealment, and self-esteem in members of a stigmatized minority group. Structural equation modeling of survey responses collected at a convention showed that socio-structural characteristics interact to predict concealment strategies as a way of managing perceived stigma. Perceived permeability of intergroup boundaries predicted increased endorsement of concealment, moderated by the legitimacy and stability of intergroup status differences. Interacting socio-structural characteristics also predicted self-esteem, an effect mediated by identity concealment. The results illustrate that socio-structural characteristics can help predict stigmatized minority group members’ endorsement of identity concealment despite its potentially maladaptive effects.

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Notes

  1. One participant selected “other”; their score for this variable was removed from the analysis.

  2. Fifteen participants selected several other options, including “pansexual,” “asexual,” or “other,” and their data were not included for this variable in the following analyses.

  3. Five participants chose the “other” option.

  4. These participants were removed from specific analyses for practical reasons: if, for example, sexual orientation is being used as a covariate, there is no way to meaningfully represent “asexual” or “other” in relation to the 7-point continuum along which the question was constructed. In analyses that did not include the item about sexual orientation (e.g., the structural equation models), participants’ data were used to minimize the number of participants excluded.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Courtney N. Plante

  2. Renison University College, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Sharon Roberts

  3. Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, USA

    Stephen Reysen

  4. Niagara County Community College, Sanborn, USA

    Kathleen Gerbasi

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  1. Courtney N. Plante
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  2. Sharon Roberts
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  4. Kathleen Gerbasi
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Correspondence to Courtney N. Plante.

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Plante, C.N., Roberts, S., Reysen, S. et al. Interaction of Socio-structural Characteristics Predicts Identity Concealment and Self- Esteem in Stigmatized Minority Group Members. Curr Psychol 33, 3–19 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-013-9189-y

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