Trauma exposure, discrimination, and romantic relationship functioning: A longitudinal investigation among LGB young adults

Timothy J. Sullivan; Brian A. Feinstein; Amy D. Marshall; Brian Mustanski

doi:10.1037/sgd0000249

Trauma exposure, discrimination, and romantic relationship functioning: A longitudinal investigation among LGB young adults

Timothy J. Sullivan, Brian A. Feinstein, Amy D. Marshall, Brian Mustanski^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sexual orientation-related discrimination is common among sexual minority individuals, but its influence on romantic relationship functioning remains unclear. Further, exposure to potentially traumatic events may influence the association between discrimination and relationship functioning, but this has not been tested among sexual minority individuals in relationships to date. The current study examines breadth of lifetime trauma exposure as a moderator of the associations between recent discrimination and changes in relationship functioning (satisfaction, commitment, and trust) over 12 months among 86 racially/ethnically diverse sexual minority young adults in relationships. For those with low trauma exposure, discrimination was associated with increases in satisfaction and commitment, but not trust. In contrast, for those with high trauma exposure, discrimination was not associated with changes in relationship functioning. Thus, some partnered sexual minority young adults may experience resilience in the face of discrimination, such that discrimination may promote positive relationship functioning. However, this does not appear to extend to those with more extensive trauma exposure histories. With an eye toward informing interventions, these findings call for additional research on individual differences in responses to discrimination, such as support seeking and dyadic coping.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	481-490
Number of pages	10
Journal	Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
Volume	4
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000249
State	Published - Dec 2017

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; Grant R21MH095413), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the William T. Grant Foundation, and the David Bohnett Foundation. Brian A. Feinstein’s time was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708). The content of the article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the funders. We are grateful to the Project Q2 staff and would also like to thank our participants, who generously gave us their time and shared their experiences with us.

Keywords

LGB
Minority stress
commitment
relationship satisfaction
trust

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Gender Studies
General Psychology

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10.1037/sgd0000249

Cite this

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title = "Trauma exposure, discrimination, and romantic relationship functioning: A longitudinal investigation among LGB young adults",

abstract = "Sexual orientation-related discrimination is common among sexual minority individuals, but its influence on romantic relationship functioning remains unclear. Further, exposure to potentially traumatic events may influence the association between discrimination and relationship functioning, but this has not been tested among sexual minority individuals in relationships to date. The current study examines breadth of lifetime trauma exposure as a moderator of the associations between recent discrimination and changes in relationship functioning (satisfaction, commitment, and trust) over 12 months among 86 racially/ethnically diverse sexual minority young adults in relationships. For those with low trauma exposure, discrimination was associated with increases in satisfaction and commitment, but not trust. In contrast, for those with high trauma exposure, discrimination was not associated with changes in relationship functioning. Thus, some partnered sexual minority young adults may experience resilience in the face of discrimination, such that discrimination may promote positive relationship functioning. However, this does not appear to extend to those with more extensive trauma exposure histories. With an eye toward informing interventions, these findings call for additional research on individual differences in responses to discrimination, such as support seeking and dyadic coping.",

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note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; Grant R21MH095413), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the William T. Grant Foundation, and the David Bohnett Foundation. Brian A. Feinstein{\textquoteright}s time was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708). The content of the article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the funders. We are grateful to the Project Q2 staff and would also like to thank our participants, who generously gave us their time and shared their experiences with us. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 American Psychological Association.",

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N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; Grant R21MH095413), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the William T. Grant Foundation, and the David Bohnett Foundation. Brian A. Feinstein’s time was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708). The content of the article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the funders. We are grateful to the Project Q2 staff and would also like to thank our participants, who generously gave us their time and shared their experiences with us. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 American Psychological Association.

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N2 - Sexual orientation-related discrimination is common among sexual minority individuals, but its influence on romantic relationship functioning remains unclear. Further, exposure to potentially traumatic events may influence the association between discrimination and relationship functioning, but this has not been tested among sexual minority individuals in relationships to date. The current study examines breadth of lifetime trauma exposure as a moderator of the associations between recent discrimination and changes in relationship functioning (satisfaction, commitment, and trust) over 12 months among 86 racially/ethnically diverse sexual minority young adults in relationships. For those with low trauma exposure, discrimination was associated with increases in satisfaction and commitment, but not trust. In contrast, for those with high trauma exposure, discrimination was not associated with changes in relationship functioning. Thus, some partnered sexual minority young adults may experience resilience in the face of discrimination, such that discrimination may promote positive relationship functioning. However, this does not appear to extend to those with more extensive trauma exposure histories. With an eye toward informing interventions, these findings call for additional research on individual differences in responses to discrimination, such as support seeking and dyadic coping.

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Trauma exposure, discrimination, and romantic relationship functioning: A longitudinal investigation among LGB young adults

Abstract

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ASJC Scopus subject areas

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