ABSTRACT

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.

摘要

异性恋是性少数群体普遍存在的少数压力源；然而，该研究对异性恋与关系动态之间的关联提出了不同的发现。从少数族裔压力和家庭压力理论出发，我们研究了异性恋的频率和严重程度如何与关系幸福感的三个维度相关联：关系满意度、关系承诺和关系维持。我们收集了来自同性关系中的 262 名性少数群体的调查数据。结果显示，异性恋的频率和严重程度与关系幸福感之间存在不一致的关联。异性恋的频率和严重程度之间的交互作用与关系承诺显着相关，但与关系满意度或感知维持无关。这项研究的结果表明，那些经历过强烈关系幸福感的人可能对异性恋等远端少数压力源具有弹性，并且异性恋的频率和严重程度之间的区别对于关系幸福感的认知维度可能更具经验意义。从业者应该继续关注少数压力可能表现在浪漫关系之外的微妙方式。