Parental Attitude, Internalized Homophobia, and Suicidal Ideation Among Selected Self-Identified Filipino Gay Men in the Philippines

Gay men often experience prejudice and discrimination due to their sexual minority identity. Although the Philippines is one of the more Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) -friendly countries in Asia, stigma and homonegativity remain pervasive. Due to this, Filipino gay men have been found to have an elevated risk for negative mental health outcomes, including suicidal ideation and attempts. This study investigated two factors that may be related to suicidal ideation, namely perceived parental attitude and internalized homophobia (the inward direction of society's homophobic attitudes). Through snowball sampling in a span of one year, 121 self-identified Filipino gay men completed self-report measures, including the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, the Internalized Homophobia Scale, and the Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire. Results suggest that generally, the participants felt accepted by their parents and reported low levels of internalized homophobia and suicidal ideation. Nevertheless, perceived parental attitude and internalized homophobia were significantly correlated with suicidal ideation. Perceived parental attitude was also associated with internalized homophobia. Regression analyses showed that perceived parental attitude and internalized homophobia both predicted suicidal ideation.