INTRODUCTION: Internalized stigma is a primary driver of mental health disparities among LGBTQ+ people of color (POC). Internalized stigma refers to the process by which individuals absorb society's negative stereotypes, prejudices, and discriminatory beliefs about their marginalized identities, leading to self-directed shame and identity rejection. The LGBTQ+ POC Stigma Model (Huynh et al., 2025) emphasizes how overlapping racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender identities increase risk for internalized stigma.


PURPOSE: Building on this model, this study developed the LGBTQ+ POC Internalized Intersectional Stigma (LPIIS) measure, a novel instrument assessing these multidimensional experiences.


METHODS: Using a mixed-methods design, items were generated from qualitative data (N = 14), reviewed by an expert panel (N = 5), revised with participant feedback (N = 12), and administered to a sample of LGBTQ+ POC (N = 629) from the United States.


RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a 28-item measure with three domains aligned with the model. (1) Multi-Axis Internalized Stigma (α = .93) reflects internalized stigma tied to holding both LGBTQ+ and POC identities, expressed as shame, self-rejection, and desire to embody dominant identities. (2) Cross-Axis Internalized Racism (α = .88) captures internalized messages of racism from LGBTQ+ communities, including pressures to assimilate to white LGBTQ+ norms and invalidation of one's LGBTQ+ identity as a POC. (3) Cross-Axis Internalized Cisheterosexism (α = .94) reflects internalized cisheterosexist messages within POC communities, including self-blame, concealment, and idealization of cisgender heterosexual norms. Structural equation modeling showed that all three domains predicted greater depression and mediated the relationship between LGBTQ+ discrimination and depression: greater discrimination predicted higher internalized stigma across domains, which in turn predicted more depression.


CONCLUSIONS: The LPIIS measure advances stigma research by operationalizing intersecting forms of internalized stigma among LGBTQ+ POC. Findings underscore the need for interventions that address intersectional stigma to reduce mental health disparities.