Minority Stress and Relationship Satisfaction Among Gay and Bisexual Men

What is it about?

For gay and bisexual men, relationship status and relationship satisfaction have been linked to longevity, positive mental health, and life satisfaction. Factors that contribute to relationship satisfaction among gay and bisexual men were examined within the framework of Meyer’s (2003) minority stress model. Ninety-three gay, bisexual, and pansexual men who ranged in age from 18 to 60 years old (M = 32.14, SD = 10.01) were recruited in person and through Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete measures related to minority identity processes, identity characteristics, and relationship satisfaction. Most men were White (80.6%) with a high education level (58% had completed at least a bachelor’s degree). Multiple linear regression results were significant and indicated that 4 variables (identity concealment, uncertainty, centrality, and affirmation) explained about 40% of the variance in relationship satisfaction, F(6, 86) = 9.42, p ≤ .001 Findings suggest that Meyer’s model can be extended from explaining mental health to understanding relationship satisfaction. Results also draw attention to the role of identity affirmation and identity centrality, a somewhat unique contribution to this area of inquiry.

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Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Meyer’s (2003) minority stress model has been shown to have applications to mental health (Sanders & McCartney Chalk, 2016). The goal of the present study was to join others in determining the potential applicability of the minority stress model in understanding relationship satisfaction. Results were promising. Specifically, the model accounted for a respectable portion of the variance (about 40%) in relationship satisfaction. Given that three of the four significant predictors of relationship satisfaction (i.e., identity affirmation, identity centrality, identity uncertainty) were characteristics of minority identity, this facet of the minority stress model may have particular importance in under-standing relationship satisfaction. Additionally, the results identify identity centrality and identity affirmation as potential pathways for facilitating relationship satisfaction among gay and bisexual men. Such findings may have particular relevance for those who provide clinical services to gay and bisexual men or to those conducting research on gay and bisexual men’s romantic relationships.