A Contextual Approach to the Psychological Study of Identity Concealment: Examining Direct, Interactive, and Indirect Effects of Structural Stigma on Concealment Motivation Across Proximal and Distal Geographic Levels
通过客观测量性取向相关的结构性污名（如社会政策）在近端和远端地理层面的影响，结合502名男同性恋和双性恋者的调查数据，发现结构性污名与隐藏动机的关联在不同地理层面存在直接、交互和间接效应。
Psychological theories of identity concealment locate the ultimate source of concealment decisions within the social environment, yet most studies have not explicitly assessed stigmatizing environments beyond the immediate situation. We advanced the identity-concealment literature by objectively measuring structural forms of stigma related to sexual orientation (e.g., social policies) at proximal and distal geographic levels. We linked these measures to a new, population-based data set of 502 gay and bisexual men (residing in 44 states and Washington, DC; 269 counties; and 354 cities) who completed survey items about stigma, including identity-concealment motivation. Among gay men, the association between structural stigma and concealment motivation was (a) observed across three levels (city, county, and state), (b) conditional on one's exposure at another geographic level (participants reported the least motivations to conceal their identity if they resided in both cities and states that were lowest in structural stigma), and (c) mediated by subjective perceptions of greater structural stigma.