“Silent or Silenced?”: Cross-sectional Findings of Internalised Homophobia and Intimate Partner Violence as Mediators between Stigma and Concealment Motivation Among Men who have Sex with Men in Malaysia

In Malaysia, men who have sex with men (MSM) conceal their sexuality due to socio-cultural challenges. Grounded in Minority Stress Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, this study examines how stigma, internalised homophobia (IH) and intimate partner violence (IPV) influence concealment motivation (CM). A cross-sectional design employed 268 MSM participants across Malaysia, via convenience sampling. They completed a survey assessing stigma, IH, IPV and CM. Correlational and serial mediation analyses (Hayes’ Model 6) were conducted. Participants (Mage = 28.9 years, SD = 5.7) were mostly single (66.4%), Chinese (44.8%) and university educated (58.2%). Stigma (r = .27, p < .001) and IH (r = .41, p < .001) were positively correlated with CM, while IPV was not (r = .01, p = .934). Serial mediation analyses showed that stigma associated with CM indirectly through IH and the IPV→IH pathway. The indirect effect via IH was consistent across all models (Fully adjusted model: b = .112, 95% CI [.061, .189]). In the fully adjusted model, 44.2% of the total effect of stigma on CM was mediated, with the indirect effect remaining significant (b = .097, 95% CI [.017, .177]). The direct effect of stigma on CM was reduced and non-significant (b = .123, 95% CI [−.022, .268]). This study underscores the need for tailored interventions addressing stigma and resilience. Future research should employ longitudinal, mixed-method approaches to unpack temporal dynamics and include non-urban populations.