Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification

One of the major tenets of system-justification theory is that justifying the social system exerts a palliative effect, being associated with positive wellbeing outcomes. Findings regarding this effect on social minorities, however, are less clear. The present article aims to propose and test a mode...

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Main Authors: Bruno Ponte Belarmino Lima, Luana Elayne de Cunha Souza, Tiago Jessé Souza de Lima
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Social Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsps.2025.1496949/full
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author Bruno Ponte Belarmino Lima
Luana Elayne de Cunha Souza
Tiago Jessé Souza de Lima
author_facet Bruno Ponte Belarmino Lima
Luana Elayne de Cunha Souza
Tiago Jessé Souza de Lima
author_sort Bruno Ponte Belarmino Lima
collection DOAJ
description One of the major tenets of system-justification theory is that justifying the social system exerts a palliative effect, being associated with positive wellbeing outcomes. Findings regarding this effect on social minorities, however, are less clear. The present article aims to propose and test a model explaining how system-justification relates to the wellbeing of Brazilian lesbians, gays and bisexuals, integrating variables previously studied independently, such as internalized homophobia and in-group identification. Seven-hundred and seventy-seven Brazilian cisgender LGBs responded to an online questionnaire. A simple mediation analysis and a moderated mediation model were conducted through Macro Process for SPSS. As expected, system-justification is indirectly associated with negative wellbeing outcomes through the internalization of homophobia. This relationship, however, is moderated by sexual minority subgroups, so that the mediation is only significant for gay men. On the other hand, system-justification is directly related to positive wellbeing outcomes (supporting the palliative effect). This positive relationship, however, is moderated by in-group identification, so that the higher the identification, the weaker is the association. Results are critically discussed and the collective and long-term implications of system-justification and its palliative effect are addressed.
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spelling doaj-art-d6dc5b5654e64e1aba352b5f9f1c1eb82025-08-20T03:10:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Social Psychology2813-78762025-04-01310.3389/frsps.2025.14969491496949Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identificationBruno Ponte Belarmino Lima0Luana Elayne de Cunha Souza1Tiago Jessé Souza de Lima2Social, Work and Organizational Psychology Program, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilGraduate Program in Psychology, University Center of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilSocial, Work and Organizational Psychology Program, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilOne of the major tenets of system-justification theory is that justifying the social system exerts a palliative effect, being associated with positive wellbeing outcomes. Findings regarding this effect on social minorities, however, are less clear. The present article aims to propose and test a model explaining how system-justification relates to the wellbeing of Brazilian lesbians, gays and bisexuals, integrating variables previously studied independently, such as internalized homophobia and in-group identification. Seven-hundred and seventy-seven Brazilian cisgender LGBs responded to an online questionnaire. A simple mediation analysis and a moderated mediation model were conducted through Macro Process for SPSS. As expected, system-justification is indirectly associated with negative wellbeing outcomes through the internalization of homophobia. This relationship, however, is moderated by sexual minority subgroups, so that the mediation is only significant for gay men. On the other hand, system-justification is directly related to positive wellbeing outcomes (supporting the palliative effect). This positive relationship, however, is moderated by in-group identification, so that the higher the identification, the weaker is the association. Results are critically discussed and the collective and long-term implications of system-justification and its palliative effect are addressed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsps.2025.1496949/fullsystem-justificationsexual minoritiespalliative effectinternalized homophobiain-group identification
spellingShingle Bruno Ponte Belarmino Lima
Luana Elayne de Cunha Souza
Tiago Jessé Souza de Lima
Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification
Frontiers in Social Psychology
system-justification
sexual minorities
palliative effect
internalized homophobia
in-group identification
title Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification
title_full Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification
title_fullStr Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification
title_full_unstemmed Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification
title_short Heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in Brazil: the role of internalized homophobia and in-group identification
title_sort heteronormative system justification and wellbeing among sexual minorities in brazil the role of internalized homophobia and in group identification
topic system-justification
sexual minorities
palliative effect
internalized homophobia
in-group identification
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsps.2025.1496949/full
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