Factors Associated With Marital Satisfaction of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

This study investigated the factors associated with the marital satisfaction of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Study participants were 268 people (M = 31.63 years of age; SD = 8.33), who self-reported as lesbian (n = 112; 41.8%), gay (n = 85; 31.7%) or bisexual (n = 71; 26.5%). Of these, 124 (46.3%) reported being cisgender men, and 144 (53.7%) were cisgender women. Participants completed the following online instruments: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Internalised Homophobia Scale, the COVID-19 Family Environment Scale (CHES) the Distress Scale, and the Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State.

Results

Results demonstrated that experiencing pre-pandemic contextual and individual vulnerabilities (internalised homophobia, psychological distress, being male, gay, or non-white), coupled with pandemic-related external stressors (working from home) and (un)adaptive processes during the pandemic (conflict and cohesion), negatively impacted the marital satisfaction of LGB individuals.

Conclusions and Policy Implications

This study provides a broader view of how LGB individuals experienced marital relationships during the pandemic, highlighting aspects that may either exacerbate or mitigate the potential adverse effects of the pandemic crisis on relationships.