Symposia
Couples / Close Relationships
Elissa L. Sarno, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
Michael Newcomb, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Associate Professor
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
Sarah Whitton, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Background: Minority stress has been associated with lower relationship quality in same-gender couples. Sexual and gender minorities assigned female at birth (SGM-AFAB) engage in both same-gender and different-gender relationships. One study found that having a male partner was linked to relationship strain via less outness and LGB community connectedness. Few studies, however, have examined how partner gender may buffer against or exacerbate the impact of minority stress on relationship functioning among SGM. The present study examined associations of minority stress with relationship quality and couple conflict, moderated by partner gender, among SGM-AFAB.
Method: Data were drawn from Waves 1-7 of an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of SGM-AFAB. Participants were 285 SGM-AFAB in relationships with the same partner for at least three consecutive waves who completed measures of minority stress (couple marginalization, sexual orientation microaggressions, internalized heterosexism), and relationship functioning (quality and conflict). Multilevel models tested within- and between-persons associations of minority stress with relationship functioning. Cross-level moderation models tested the interaction of partner gender with minority stress to predict relationship functioning.
Results: Within- and between-persons, couple marginalization was negatively associated with relationship quality and positively associated with conflict. At the between-persons level only, microaggressions and internalized heterosexism were negatively associated with relationship quality and positively associated with conflict. Participants with cisgender male partners had a stronger association between couple marginalization and conflict than those with gender minority partners. Participants with cisgender female partners had a positive association of microaggressions and relationship quality; participants with cisgender male or gender minority partners had negative associations between these variables.
Conclusion: Minority stress appears to negatively impact relationship functioning among SGM-AFAB, though these associations differ by partner gender. For example, for SGM-AFAB with cisgender male partners, partners who identify as heterosexual may blame them for experiences of marginalization, leading to more conflict compared to those with gender minority partners. Results have important implications for clinical practice with SGM-AFAB individuals in relationships with partners of diverse genders.