Sexology research and targeted social stigma in Southeast Nigeria: Implications to social justice and social policy in developing nations

This study explored the impact of social stigma on the involvement of social researchers in sexology studies in southeast Nigeria. The study, which applied survey design, involved 656 faculty members in the areas of the social sciences, education, humanities and public health research in 24 federal and state institutions of higher learning in southeast Nigeria. Data were collected with a modified Kite and Deaux (1986) homosexual attitude scale (HAS) questionnaire, and analyzed with regression statistics. According to the findings, targeted stigma against sexual minorities, scholars associated with sexology studies, and the willingness to be involved in sexology studies among the respondents were predicted by such critical factors as education, exposure to local and international media, participation in an international academic program, or an encounter with a sexual minority.