Psychophysical Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Same-Sex Couples’ Conflict: The Mediating Effect of Internalized Sexual Stigma

Abstract

Research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on same-sex relationships is limited. The present study aimed at analyzing the association between the psychophysical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and same-sex couples’ conflict, also considering the potential mediating effect of internalized sexual stigma (ISS). For this purpose, psychophysical challenges and couples’ conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic, ISS, age, biological sex, sexual orientation, relationship duration, religiosity, involvement in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) associations, sexual satisfaction, and interpersonal partner violence were assessed in an Italian sample of 232 LGB people engaged in a same-sex relationship (aged 18–45 years; Mage = 28.68, SD = 6.91). The results indicated that the psychophysical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with couples’ conflict, and ISS mediated this relationship. Among the covariates considered, only sexual satisfaction was associated with couples’ conflict. The findings suggest that ISS, over and above the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychophysical health, triggered conflict within same-sex relationships. Studying the role of ISS in various relational and social contexts is important, as ISS may have an adverse effect on the mental health of sexual minority people. We recommend that more efforts be made to improve research on the LGB population during the public health response to the COVID-19 emergency, because the paucity of studies underlines the invisibility of this population in many domains, including the domain of romantic relationships. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Sexual Minority People and Associated Factors: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies

“…Sexual coercion perpetration was associated only with the religious attitudes toward Lesbianism dimension of the Lesbian Internalized Homonegativity Scale (LIHS), while it was not related to any other dimension of the LIHS. Internalized homonegativity was not related to physical and emotional IPV perpetration Pistella et al ( 2022 ) Psychosocial impact of Covid-19 pandemic and same-sex couples conflict: the mediating effect of internalized sexual stigma Italy N = 232, 131 (F), 101 (M) Any IPV CTS2S Couple conflict and IPV victimization were positively related to IPV perpetration; sexual satisfaction was negatively related to IPV perpetration. Psychosocial impact of COVID-19, age, internalized sexual stigma, relationship duration, religiosity, and involvement in LGB associations were not related to IPV perpetration Poorman and Seelau ( 2001 ) Lesbians who abuse their partners: using the FIRO-B to assess interpersonal characteristics USA N = 15 (F) Psychological abuse The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B) Perpetrators had lower expressed and wanted inclusion, and expressed and wanted affection compared with non-perpetrators; However, expressed and wanted control did not differ between perpetrators and non-perpetrators, and there were no differences between the groups in the differences between expressed and wanted inclusion, expressed and wanted affection or expressed and wanted control Reuter et al ( 2015 ) An exploratory study of teen dating violence in sexual minority youth USA N = 782, 444 (M), 338 (F) Physical, psychological, sexual, and relational violence The Conflict in Adolescent Dating and Relationship Inventory (CADRI) No gender differences in IPV perpetration were found.…”

“…First, differences in the operationalization of violence and in the used instruments were found. Thirty-nine studies assessed IPV perpetration with some version of the conflict tactics scale (CTS; Ayhan Balik & Bilgin, 2021 ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Causby et al, 1995 ; Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Chong et al, 2013 ; Craft & Serovich, 2005 ; Craft et al, 2008 ; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Edwards et al, 2021 ; Leone et al, 2022 ; Lewis et al, 2017 ; Li et al, 2019 , 2022 ; Li & Zheng, 2021 ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, 2017a ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, 2017b ; Jones & Raghavan, 2012 ; Kelley et al, 2014 ; Landolt & Dutton, 1997 ; Lewis et al, 2018 ; Mason et al, 2016 ; McKenry et al, 2006 ; Milletich et al, 2014 ; Oringher & Samuelson, 2011 ; Pepper & Sand, 2015 ; Pistella et al, 2022 ; Stephenson et al, 2011b ; Stults et al, 2021b ; Swan et al, 2021 ; Swann et al, 2021 ; Taylor & Neppl, 2020 ; Tognasso et al, 2022 ; Whitton et al, 2021 ; Wu et al, 2015 ; Stults et al, 2015b ; Stults et al, 2016 ; Waterman et al, 1989 ; Whitton et al, 2019 ; Zavala, 2017 ). Other used assessment tools were the Intimate Partner Violence Among Gay and Bisexual Men (IPV-GBM) Scale (10 studies; Davis et al, 2016 ; Jones & Raghavan, 2012 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2016 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2017 ; Suarez et al, 2018 ; Wei et al, 2020a , b , 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2021 ); the Psychological Maltreatmen...…”

“…Second, only 15 studies (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Davis et al, 2016 ; Edwards et al, 2021 ; Fortunata & Kohn, 2003 ; Jones & Raghavan, 2012 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2016 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2017 ; Suarez et al, 2018 ; Swann et al, 2021 ; Wei et al, 2020a , b ; Whitton et al, 2019 ; Whitton et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2021 ) included instruments or items that addressed abusive tactics specific to sexual minority people (e.g., threats of outing, homonegativity, and negative HIV-related attitudes). Furthermore, only slightly more than half of the studies were focused on the variables associated to the violence perpetrated within a same-sex relationship (40 studies; Ayhan Balik & Bilgin, 2021 ; Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Carvalho et al, 2011 ; Chong et al, 2013 ; Craft & Serovich, 2005 ; Davis et al, 2016 ; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Fontanesi et al, 2020 ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, 2017a ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, b ; Jacobson et al, 2015 ; Jones & Raghavan, 2012 ; Kahle et al, 2020 ; Kelley et al, 2014 ; Landolt & Dutton, 1997 ; Leone et al, 2022 ; Lewis et al, 2017 ; Lewis et al, 2018 ; Li et al, 2019 , 2022 ; Li & Zheng, 2021 ; Longares et al, 2018b ; Mason et al, 2016 ; Milletich et al, 2014 ; Pepper & Sand, 2015 ; Pistella et al, 2022 ; Poorman & Seelau, 2001 ; Schilit et al, 1990 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2016 ; Stephenson et al,…”

“…Only one study used probabilistic methods of sampling (Bogart et al, 2005 ). Most (39 studies) included self-identified LGB+ people (Ayhan Balik & Bilgin, 2021 ; Bacchus et al, 2017 ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bogart et al, 2005 ; Chong et al, 2013 ; Derlega et al, 2011 ; Edwards et al, 2021 ; Finneran & Stephenson, 2014 ; Finneran et al, 2012 ; Fontanesi et al, 2020 ; Fortunata & Kohn, 2003 ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, 2017a ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, b ; Jacobson et al, 2015 ; Kelly et al, 2011 ; Lewis et al, 2017 ; Lewis et al, 2018 ; Longares et al, 2018a ; Longares et al, b ; Mason et al, 2016 ; Oringher & Samuelson, 2011 ; Pistella et al, 2022 ; Poorman & Seelau, 2001 ; Reuter et al, 2015 ; Schilit et al, 1990 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2016 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2017 ; Stephenson et al, 2011a ; Stephenson et al, 2013 ; Swan et al, 2021 ; Taylor & Neppl, 2020 ; Telesco, 2003 ; Tognasso et al, 2022 ; Toro-Alfonso & Rodríguez-Madera, 2004 ; Turell et al, 2018 ; Ummak et al, 2021 ; Zavala, 2017 ). Regardless of their self-identified sexual orientation, 17 studies recruited participants on the basis of their involvement in a same-sex relationship (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Craft & Serovich, 2005 ; Craft et al, 2008 ; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Jones & Raghavan, 2012 ; Kahle et al, 2020 ; Kelley et al, 2014 ; Leone et al, 2022 ; Li et al,…”

“…Five articles did not specify based on what criteria they defined their participants as sexual minority people (Carvalho et al, 2011 ; Causby et al, 1995 ; McKenry et al, 2006 ; Landolt & Dutton, 1997 ; Schilit et al, 1991 ). In terms of age, education and ethnicity of the enrolled participants, most of the studies (54 studies) included in the current systematic review were focused on adult participants, mainly White and well-educated (Ayhan Balik & Bilgin, 2021 ; Bacchus et al, 2017 ; Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bogart et al, 2005 ; Carvalho et al, 2011 ; Chong et al, 2013 ; Derlega et al, 2011 ; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Edwards et al, 2021 ; Finneran et al, 2012 ; Fontanesi et al, 2020 ; Fortunata & Kohn, 2003 ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, 2017a ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, b ; Jacobson et al, 2015 ; Kahle et al, 2020 ; Kelley et al, 2014 ; Kelly et al, 2011 ; Krahé et al, 2000 ; Landolt & Dutton, 1997 ; Leone et al, 2022 ; Lewis et al, 2017 ; Lewis et al, 2018 ; Li & Zheng, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022 ; Longares et al, 2018a ; Longares et al, b ; Mason et al, 2016 ; McKenry et al, 2006 ; Milletich et al, 2014 ; Miltz et al, 2019 ; Oringher & Samuelson, 2011 ; Pepper & Sand, 2015 ; Pistella et al, 2022 ; Schilit et al, 1990 , 1991 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2017 ; Stephenson et al, 2011a ; Stephenson et al, 2011a , b ; Suarez et al,…”