4 - (SYM 116) The Roles of Minority Stress, Identity, and Coping in Relationship Functioning Among Bi+ Women

Abstract Body
Individuals who identify as plurisexual (i.e., attracted to more than one gender; “bi+”) face worse health and relationship outcomes as compared with monosexual (i.e., attracted to only one gender, e.g., lesbian/gay, heterosexual) individuals. Bi-specific minority stress and exclusion from monosexual communities have been identified as prominent risk factors for such outcomes. Still, bi+ individuals and relationships often remain excluded from studies of SGM populations. The current study addresses this gap by elucidating how minority stress, identity, and coping impact psychological and relationship functioning outcomes among partnered bi+ women.
 
A national sample of 113 currently partnered plurisexual cisgender women (M age=30, 28% non-white, 11% Latina) completed online measures of bisexual-specific discrimination and minority stress, LBG identity and outness, queer community connectedness, emotion dysregulation, coping with discrimination, dyadic coping, couple satisfaction, intimacy, conflict, and resilience. Of the total sample, 39% reported having plurisexual partners, 39% reported heterosexual partners, and 22% reported lesbian/gay partners.
 
Group differences were found for identity concealment, outness, and LGBTQ+ community connectedness. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant interactions between bi-specific minority stress and partner sexual identity on relationship outcomes such that, for those with a plurisexual partner, minority stress had deleterious effects on emotional intimacy and couple resilience as compared with those with a monosexual partner. For those with lower community connectedness or identity centrality, minority stress predicted lower emotional intimacy and couple resilience. Greater bi-specific minority stress interacted with difficulty regulating emotions to predict lower relationship satisfaction. Further analyses will examine interactions between dyadic coping styles and minority stressors predicting psychological distress and relationship functioning; additional interaction patterns will be presented.
 
Findings highlight the importance of better understanding the roles of bi-specific minority stressors and partner sexual identity in studies of relationship functioning, especially those among queer women. These outcomes identify several key risk and protective factors for partnered bi+ women, with implications for both future research among SGM populations and clinical practice with SGM individuals and romantic relationships.