Predictors of the Fear of Monkeypox in Sexual Minorities

Sexual minority (SM) individuals have historically been perceived as having serious diseases and illnesses and, consequently, have experienced disease-related stigma and discrimination. These lived experiences of SM individuals involve being targets of negative and discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. Such experiences of stigma tend to intensify during epidemics, which could exacerbate the fear of infectious diseases-persistent worries about potential infection. Indeed, past findings indicate that the fear of infectious diseases may be a significant predictor of mental and physical health outcomes. Given SM individuals' marginalized status and sociohistorical context with infectious diseases, we explored possible predictors for fear of monkeypox during the 2022 mpox outbreak. Specifically, we examined everyday discrimination, sexual orientation microaggressions, and victimization distress as potential predictors for fear of mpox. Data were collected from a minority-serving institution and included 79 self-identified SM individuals (Mage = 20.39, SD = 3.52). The results suggested that victimization distress significantly predicted more fear of mpox. Exploratory mediation analysis showed that victimization distress was a significant mechanism for the relationship between everyday discrimination and the fear of mpox. SM individuals who experienced more everyday discrimination also demonstrated higher levels of victimization distress, and those who experienced these higher levels of distress also showed greater fear of mpox. The current study provides implications for public health officials, psychologists, and policymakers who aim to work with SM individuals and to prevent and treat infectious diseases.