TY - JOUR
T1 - Minority stress and intimate partner aggression among male same-sex couples
AU - Sarno, Elissa L.
AU - Smith, Madison S.
AU - Newcomb, Michael E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DP2DA042417; PI: Newcomb) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA024065; PI: Newcomb).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Personal Relationships published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Association for Relationship Research.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is high among gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority men (SMM), and is strongly linked to minority stress. These links might be further magnified or buffered by communication between partners (i.e., negative and positive communication, respectively). The present study investigated associations of minority stress and IPA, and the moderating role of positive/negative communication, among male couples (N = 932 individuals, 466 couples). Partners completed measures of communication skills, minority stress, and IPA, which were analyzed using moderated actor-partner interdependence models. Results suggested that microaggressions increase one's own (i.e., an actor effect) and one's partner's (i.e., a partner effect) verbal IPA victimization, verbal IPA perpetration, and physical IPA victimization. Positive communication moderated the association between microaggressions and verbal IPA victimization, suggesting that high levels of positive communication may buffer the microaggression-verbal IPA link. Thus, minority stress' detrimental impacts on relationship functioning among male same-sex couples may be reduced by the presence of positive communication (e.g., effective conflict resolution). We discuss structural and clinical innovations to prevent IPA among male couples, with particular emphasis on the absence of positive communication as an aggravating factor.
AB - Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is high among gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority men (SMM), and is strongly linked to minority stress. These links might be further magnified or buffered by communication between partners (i.e., negative and positive communication, respectively). The present study investigated associations of minority stress and IPA, and the moderating role of positive/negative communication, among male couples (N = 932 individuals, 466 couples). Partners completed measures of communication skills, minority stress, and IPA, which were analyzed using moderated actor-partner interdependence models. Results suggested that microaggressions increase one's own (i.e., an actor effect) and one's partner's (i.e., a partner effect) verbal IPA victimization, verbal IPA perpetration, and physical IPA victimization. Positive communication moderated the association between microaggressions and verbal IPA victimization, suggesting that high levels of positive communication may buffer the microaggression-verbal IPA link. Thus, minority stress' detrimental impacts on relationship functioning among male same-sex couples may be reduced by the presence of positive communication (e.g., effective conflict resolution). We discuss structural and clinical innovations to prevent IPA among male couples, with particular emphasis on the absence of positive communication as an aggravating factor.
KW - communication
KW - intimate partner aggression
KW - minority stress
KW - sexual minority
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U2 - 10.1111/pere.12482
DO - 10.1111/pere.12482
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85150193929
SN - 1350-4126
JO - Personal Relationships
JF - Personal Relationships
ER -