Abstract
Bear subculture exists within a larger gay community, which has been recognized by public health experts as disproportionately burdened with stigma and related health adversities. Bears are distinguished by a particular body look—body hirsuteness and heavy-set physique. Previous research documented the various health risks, and the exposure to both sexual minority and weight stigma, of this population. In this study we focused on the determinants of self-esteem in Bears. We explored the significance of such predictors as: perceived sexual minority and weight stigma, age, resilience, and physique as reflected by the BMI. Our sample consisted of 60 men from the Polish Bear community (i.e., Bears, Cubs, Otters, Wolves). Linear regression models were performed for the entire sample (N = 60) and for Bear-identified men (N = 31). Perceived sexual minority stigma negatively, and resilience positively, predicted self-esteem. In the case of Bear-identified men, age, perceived exposure to weight discrimination, and BMI were also significant predictors of self-esteem. Higher BMI in the case of Bear-identified men predicted higher self-esteem. Our results suggest that although Bear-identified men are characterized by their similarities to other gay men, subcultural identities create unique social contexts that are important for health and health interventions in this population.
Highlights
Over the last few decades, stigma has been recognized as one of the fundamental drivers of population health [1]
Given that there is a dearth of research examining the intersectional minority stress processes and associations between subcultural affiliations and health in gay men, this study provides a significant contribution to the literature [5]
The meaning of various characteristics becomes reinterpreted, and may even be reversed. These results have potential practical implications for health promotion interventions addressed to the members of the Bear subculture, and suggest that links between the subcultural identities of sexual minority men and their health deserve more attention
Summary
Over the last few decades, stigma has been recognized as one of the fundamental drivers of population health [1]. Multiple studies associated exposure to stigma with health disparities in various populations, including the gay and bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), disproportionately affected by both physical and mental health problems compared to the general population [2,3]. These health inequalities have been explained and studied within the minority stress framework, according to which living in an unfavorable social environment—characterized by prejudice and discrimination towards members of minority groups—is associated with chronically elevated levels of stress, and adversely affects the well-being of burdened populations [4]. Public Health 2020, 17, 4439; doi:10.3390/ijerph17124439 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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