How stigma gets “in between”: Associations between changes in perceived stigma, closeness discrepancies, and relationship satisfaction among same-sex couples

Abstract

Same-sex couples continue to experience social stigma, which can have negative consequences for the quality of their relationships. The current study combined minority stress theory with closeness discrepancy theory in an examination of how the production of disjunctures between actual and ideal experiences of closeness (i.e., closeness discrepancies) accounts for an indirect association between stigma and relationship quality. Data were obtained from a longitudinal study of same-sex couples in the United States who were surveyed twice, 1 year apart (N = 552 individuals, 276 couples). Participants completed measures of stigma, closeness discrepancies, and relationship satisfaction (as an outcome of relationship quality) at each Wave. Results from Actor Partner Interdependence Models demonstrated that increases in experiences of stigma over 1 year were associated with increases in closeness discrepancies, which were, in turn, associated with decreases in relationship satisfaction. This indirect pathway was observed for the association between stigma and one's own relationship satisfaction, but not with one's partner's relationship satisfaction. This research extends previous research on stigma and relational well-being among same-sex couples by offering a potential explanation for how stigma “gets in between” partners in same-sex couples thereby diminishing the quality of their romantic relationships.