(PS8-24) Exploring the Moderating Role of Dedication on Sexual Minority Stress and Life Satisfaction Among Female Same-gender Couples

Sexual minority stress (SMS) describes how sexual minority individuals experience unique stressors due to their sexual orientation, which can contribute to poor mental health (MH) outcomes (Brooks, 1981; Meyer, 2003). Positive romantic relationships are associated with better MH outcomes among sexual minority individuals (Whitton & Kuryluk, 2014). Research on relationship quality, SMS, and MH outcomes often group male and female same-gender couples together (Song et al., 2022), limiting application to sexual minority women specifically. Given that sexual minority women experience higher depression rates compared to heterosexual women and sexual minority men (Whitton et al., 2021), more research is needed to understand potential moderators of SMS in this population. The current study addressed these gaps by evaluating associations between SMS, as moderated by relationship quality, on MH outcomes among female same-gender couples. The sample consisted of 103 couples (N = 206; 73% White; 81% Lesbian) in which both partners identified as women and had been together for at least 2 months. Individual self-report questionnaires with measures of SMS (e.g., discrimination, internalized stigma, identity disclosure), relationship quality (relationship adjustment, dedication), and mental health (depressive symptoms, life satisfaction) were completed. We used Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (Kenny et al., 2006) to analyze associations between our independent variables (relationship quality, SMS) and MH outcomes. We performed exploratory analyses of interaction terms with p < .10 to assess if relationship quality could moderate the effects of SMS on MH. We found a significant actor effect for relationship adjustment on depressive symptoms (β = -0.24, p < .001), and actor and partner effects for discrimination on depressive symptoms (actor β = 0.22, p < .002; partner β = 0.14, p < .039). We also found significant actor effects for relationship adjustment (β = .44, p < .001) and dedication (β = .34, p < .001) on life satisfaction. Two interactions terms trended toward significance: identity disclosure X dedication on life satisfaction (β = -.139, p < .075) and internalized stigma X dedication on life satisfaction (β = .111, p < .076). Simple slopes indicated that for individuals low in dedication (1 SD < M), higher identity disclosure significantly predicted greater life satisfaction (β = .218, p < .030). Higher internalized stigma significantly predicted lower life satisfaction for individuals low in dedication as well (β = -.214, p</em> < .018). For individuals high in dedication (1 SD > M), we found no significant associations for either identity disclosure or internalized stigma on life satisfaction. Results provide novel evidence that one’s own and one’s partner’s SMS have significant associations with mental health among women in same-gender couples. Our findings also provide preliminary evidence that positive intimate relationships, particularly high dedication, may serve as an avenue to buffer against the negative impact of minority stressors on life satisfaction. Results have implications for informing clinical practices by promoting dedication and stability among female same-gender couples.