They are distinguished by a particular body look-a heavier, muscular or less sculpted physique, which is usually accompanied by more pronounced secondary sex characteristics, such as body hair. Men who identify as Bears are often characterized as being positioned outside of the mainstream gay community, and as opposing to the stereotypes of gay men as effeminate. It has been estimated that a Bear identity may be held by about 14–22% of sexual minority men. Although the Bear identity and community originated in the US during the 1980s, it quickly became popular worldwide, with central Europe and Poland being no exception. One such subcultural grouping among gay, bisexual and other sexual minority men is the Bear community. The growing body of research has not only demonstrated that various subcultural identities function within this population, but it has also indicated that some of them may have particular relevance to health. Only recently have the researchers started to explore the associations between gay men’s health and their subcultural affiliations. Instead, most previous studies seem to overlook the diversity in sexual minority men, and separately examine various social statuses-such as sexual identity, gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status-and their associations with health. Īlthough the health indicators and health-related behaviors of men in sexual minorities have been studied extensively for decades, very few studies have acknowledged the existence of multiple intersecting social identities, and their complex interlocking influence on health in this population. These health inequalities have been explained and studied within the minority stress framework, according to which living in an unfavorable social environment-characterized by prejudice and discrimination towards members of minority groups-is associated with chronically elevated levels of stress, and therefore adversely affects the well-being of burdened populations. Multiple studies associated exposure to stigma with health disparities in various populations, including the gay and bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), disproportionately affected by both physical and mental health problems compared to the general population.
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Over the last few decades, stigma has been recognized as one of the fundamental drivers of population health. Our results suggest that although Bear-identified men are characterized by their similarities to other gay men, subcultural identities create unique social contexts that are important for health and health interventions in this population. Higher BMI in the case of Bear-identified men predicted higher self-esteem. In the case of Bear-identified men, age, perceived exposure to weight discrimination, and BMI were also significant predictors of self-esteem.
Perceived sexual minority stigma negatively, and resilience positively, predicted self-esteem.
Linear regression models were performed for the entire sample (N = 60) and for Bear-identified men (N = 31). Our sample consisted of 60 men from the Polish Bear community (i.e., Bears, Cubs, Otters, Wolves). We explored the significance of such predictors as: perceived sexual minority and weight stigma, age, resilience, and physique as reflected by the BMI. In this study we focused on the determinants of self-esteem in Bears. Previous research documented the various health risks, and the exposure to both sexual minority and weight stigma, of this population. Bears are distinguished by a particular body look-body hirsuteness and heavy-set physique. Bear subculture exists within a larger gay community, which has been recognized by public health experts as disproportionately burdened with stigma and related health adversities.