4 - (SYM 131) Exploring Effects of Minority Stress, Identity, and Coping on Psychological and Relationship Functioning Among Partnered Plurisexual Women

Individuals with plurisexual identities (attracted to more than one gender, “bi+”) face worse health outcomes and lower relationship satisfaction as compared with those who identify as monosexual (attracted to only one gender, e.g., lesbian/gay, heterosexual). Prior research suggests bi-specific minority stressors and exclusion from monosexual communities are prominent risk factors. Few SGM studies focus on relationships involving bi+ individuals. The current study addresses this gap by examining the correlates, risk and protective factors of psychological distress and relationship functioning among partnered plurisexual women.

A national sample of 64 currently partnered plurisexual cisgender women (M age=29, 27% non-White, 12.5% Latina) completed online measures of bisexual discrimination and minority stress, LBG identity and outness, LGB community connectedness, emotion dysregulation, coping with discrimination, dyadic coping, personality, depression, anxiety, couple satisfaction, intimacy, conflict, and resilience. Data collection is ongoing; projected N=135. Thus far, 59% of participants reported heterosexual partners, 16% reported lesbian/gay partners, and 25% reported bi+ partners.

Preliminary moderation analyses indicate deleterious effects of bi-specific minority stressors on couple satisfaction among bi+ women partnered with bi+ individuals as compared with those partnered with monosexual individuals. Bi+ identity affirmation predicted higher couple satisfaction, but those low in affirmation and partnered with bi+ individuals showed worse satisfaction as compared with those low in affirmation and partnered with monosexual individuals. Bi+ identity affirmation and community connectedness moderated the relation between emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms; for bi+ women low in affirmation and connectedness, dysregulation more strongly predicted depression, while for those high in affirmation and connectedness, the relationship was no longer significant.

Findings highlight the deleterious impacts of minority stress on partnered bi+ women and reflect the importance of studying how partner sexual identity moderates these outcomes. Findings elucidate several potential risk and protective factors for partnered bi+ women, with implications for future research and clinical practice among SGM populations. Further analyses will examine interactions between relationship composition and minority stressors predicting psychological distress and relationship functioning.