TY - JOUR
T1 - Individuals in same-sex relationships maintain relational well-being despite the frequency and severity of heterosexism
AU - Rice, Te Kisha M.
AU - Ogolsky, Brian G.
AU - Oswald, Ramona Faith
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Heterosexism represents a pervasive minority stressor for sexual minority individuals; however, the research presents mixed findings on the association between heterosexism and relational dynamics. Drawing from theories of minority stress and family stress, we examined how the frequency and severity of heterosexism connect to three dimensions of relationship well-being: relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship maintenance. We collected survey data from 262 sexual minority individuals in same-sex relationships. Results show inconsistent associations between the frequency and severity of heterosexism and relationship well-being. The interaction between the frequency and severity of heterosexism was significantly associated with relationship commitment, but not relationship satisfaction or perceived maintenance. The findings of this study suggest that those who experience strong relational well-being may be resilient to distal minority stressors like heterosexism and that the distinction between the frequency and severity of heterosexism may be more empirically meaningful for cognitive dimensions for relational well-being. Practitioners should continue to attend to the nuanced ways in which minority stress may manifest beyond the romantic relationship.
AB - Heterosexism represents a pervasive minority stressor for sexual minority individuals; however, the research presents mixed findings on the association between heterosexism and relational dynamics. Drawing from theories of minority stress and family stress, we examined how the frequency and severity of heterosexism connect to three dimensions of relationship well-being: relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship maintenance. We collected survey data from 262 sexual minority individuals in same-sex relationships. Results show inconsistent associations between the frequency and severity of heterosexism and relationship well-being. The interaction between the frequency and severity of heterosexism was significantly associated with relationship commitment, but not relationship satisfaction or perceived maintenance. The findings of this study suggest that those who experience strong relational well-being may be resilient to distal minority stressors like heterosexism and that the distinction between the frequency and severity of heterosexism may be more empirically meaningful for cognitive dimensions for relational well-being. Practitioners should continue to attend to the nuanced ways in which minority stress may manifest beyond the romantic relationship.
KW - Heterosexism
KW - discrimination
KW - minority stress
KW - relationship commitment
KW - relationship quality
KW - same-sex relationships
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U2 - 10.1080/19419899.2020.1854835
DO - 10.1080/19419899.2020.1854835
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85097414593
JO - Psychology and Sexuality
JF - Psychology and Sexuality
SN - 1941-9899
ER -