Coping with minority stress in romantic relationships among lesbian, gay and bisexual people

Song, Chao; Buysse, Ann; Zhang, Wei Hong; Lu, Ciyong; Zhao, Mei‐Jun; Dewaele, Alexis

doi:10.1007/s12144-020-01188-z

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Although not as robust as findings related to relationship satisfaction, previous research has identified a significant positive association between dyadic coping and relationship commitment (Landis et al, 2014 ) as well as intimacy (Belcher et al, 2011 ; Manne & Badr, 2010 ; Manne et al, 2010 ; Pagani et al, 2019 ; Traa et al, 2015 ) among heterosexual married couples. Similar associations between dyadic coping and relationship functioning have been identified among SMM couples (Feinstein et al, 2018 ; Meuwly et al, 2013 ; Rostosky & Riggle, 2017 ; Song et al, 2020 ). Given the modest size of this sample, these findings are best viewed as indicating merit in the continued examination of relationship functioning generally as a determinant of COVID-19 prevention and related health outcomes and not as evidence that commitment or intimacy specifically are irrelevant.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Partners’ Consensus About Joint Effort and COVID-19 Prevention Among Sexual Minority Men

et al. 2021

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The current study examined the relevance of relationship functioning to partners’ agreement or consensus about joint effort surrounding COVID-19 prevention. Interdependence theory has been widely used to understand how relationship partners influence health behavior, including how sexual minority male (SMM) couples regulate HIV risk. Couples with better relationship functioning tend to be more successful at negotiating joint (shared) goals and subsequently accomplishing them. The study recruited 134 cis-male, SARS-CoV-2 negative adults in relationships with cis-male partners from phone-based social networking applications. Participants completed an online survey assessing relationship functioning (Perceived Relationship Components Questionnaire), COVID-19 prevention behaviors, and risk perceptions. Partners’ consensus around joint COVID-19 prevention effort was assessed using an adapted version of the Preferences for Sexual Health Outcomes scale. Path analyses indicated that consensus for joint prevention effort predicted social distancing ( B = 0.23; p = .001) and the number of other COVID-19 prevention behaviors engaged in ( B = 0.17; p = .003) above and beyond perceived risk and relationship functioning. Relationship satisfaction predicted higher levels of consensus for joint COVID-19 prevention effort ( B = 0.40; p = .029). Findings suggest that the theoretical foundations of successful HIV prevention interventions that utilize joint goal formation may generalize to the prediction of COVID-19 prevention behavior and may be leveraged to mitigate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among SMM in relationships. Interventions that overlook the potential for dyadic regulation of health behavior may miss opportunities to capitalize on shared coping resources and fail to address relational barriers to prevention.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Partners’ Consensus About Joint Effort and COVID-19 Prevention Among Sexual Minority Men

et al. 2021

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“…As reported in previous research, the effect of minority stress on relationship satisfaction in LGBs was explained through other individual variables, such as feelings of depression (Frost & Meyer, 2009). In addition, Song et al (2020) suggested that specific variables, such as family support and confidant support, might positively explain the association between minority stress and relationship satisfaction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…This is similar to the findings of a previous study, which indicated that stress response in one partner predicted more negative perceptions of the relationship quality and less relationship satisfaction . These findings contribute to the STM by adding knowledge on the dyadic implications of minority stress for same-sex relationship satisfaction (Randall & Bodenmann, 2009;Song et al, 2020). This result may be explained by the fact that experiences of perceived discrimination may create ongoing stress and relationship strains for partners, leading to conflict, lack of trust, or lack of desired intimacy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Therefore, identifying the risk mechanisms of relationship satisfaction has important clinical and social implications not only for individual health, but also for relational health. Relatively few studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying the potential influence of relationship satisfaction in LGB romantic relationships (Pepping et al, 2019;Song et al, 2020).…”

Section: Perceived Discrimination and Relationship Satisfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceived Discrimination and Relationship Satisfaction Among Same-Sex Couples: The Role of Dyadic Stress and Sex

Song

Buysse

Zhang

et al. 2022

Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy

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Based on the fact that most research drawn from the minority stress theory on the association between minority stress and relationship satisfaction has focused on an individual perspective rather than a dyadic perspective, and the limited evidence of the systemic transactional model (STM) explore the topics of same-sex couples. This study aims to combine both theories to examine the association between perceived discrimination and relationship satisfaction among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people on both partners and test the potential mediating role of dyadic stress and sex difference in this association. Using an actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM), we analyzed data including a sample of 241 LGB couples (133 female and 108 male same-sex dyads). Results showed that perceived discrimination had no direct actor-partner effects on relationship satisfaction. APIMeM revealed significant indirect partner effects from perceived discrimination on both individuals' and their partners' relationship satisfaction through the partner's dyadic stress. Additionally, the effect of personal dyadic stress on a partner's relationship satisfaction was stronger for women compared to men. These findings demonstrated the utility of the minority stress theory and STM framework for understanding the risk of stressors in damaging LGBs' romantic relationships. Couple interventions should integrate knowledge from a dyadic perspective with attention to sex differences.Minority stress theory suggests that sexual minority individuals are at greater risk for health problems than heterosexuals, because LGBs face greater exposure to social stress related to prejudice and stigma (Meyer, 2003). These stressors include distal stressors (i.e., experiences of discrimination and prejudice) and proximal stressors (i.e., internalized homonegativity, expectations of rejection, and identity concealment) (Meyer, 2003). The overall impact of both distal and proximal stressors on mental health and how to buffer adverse effects has been widely documented in prior studies (see reviews in Chaudoir et al. (2017) and Dürrbaum and Sattler (2020)). Moreover, this theory has been extended by some studies in explaining the ways in which minority stress could have a detrimental impact on relationship satisfaction and well-being: Minority stress deprives LGB individuals of relationship validation and support, which in turn can lessen the couple's ability to cope with stress and strain, and decreases the commitment to, investment in, and perception of rewards from their romantic relationships (see, e.g., Guschlbauer,

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“…For example, young sexual minority men may have needed to shelter-in-place or return to their families or moved in with their romantic partners during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have reduced the amount of time spent with partners, commitment, and produced additional stress on relationships. Importantly, sexuality-based stigma and stress can result in depressive and anxious symptoms, conflictual communication and even intimate partner violence among youth (Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Song et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Relationship Quality Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Young Sexual Minority Men in Romantic Relationships

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the well-being of people worldwide; however, there has been limited research examining ways in which the pandemic has created changes in relationship quality among young sexual minority men. We analyzed data from a sample of 150 young sexual minority men, aged 15–24 years. In total, 25% reported their relationship quality decreased during the pandemic, 47% reported no change, and 28% reported increased relationship quality due to COVID-19. In multinomial models, intimate partner violence, lower commitment, and spending less time with a partner due to COVID-19 were associated with decreased relationship quality during the pandemic compared to those who reported no change or increased relationship quality due to the pandemic. More efforts are needed to understand and address the impact of COVID-19 on the romantic relationships of young sexual minority men. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10508-021-02254-8.

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Coping with minority stress in romantic relationships among lesbian, gay and bisexual people

Cited by 13 publications

References 65 publications

Partners’ Consensus About Joint Effort and COVID-19 Prevention Among Sexual Minority Men

Partners’ Consensus About Joint Effort and COVID-19 Prevention Among Sexual Minority Men

Perceived Discrimination and Relationship Satisfaction Among Same-Sex Couples: The Role of Dyadic Stress and Sex

Perceptions of Relationship Quality Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Young Sexual Minority Men in Romantic Relationships

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