Suchergebnisse

Research concerning sexual and gender minority (SGM) health has flourished in recent years in conjunction with a period of intense social, political, and legal discourse about SGM persons. While this attention has increased understanding and recognition of SGM experiences, recent advances have often been met with resistance and backlash rooted in social stigma and long histories of discrimination. This volume of Advances in Medical Sociology showcases rich theoretical and empirical contributions on SGM health and wellbeing. The chapters address a variety of topics, drawing from classic and contemporary sociological frameworks and constructs, and reflecting intersecting interdisciplinary approaches to SGM health. Research presented in this volume provides an in-depth focus on sexual and/or gender minority populations, as well as the diverse sub-populations within them; theoretical and empirical explanations for SGM health disparities and resilience; aging and life course perspectives on the health experiences of SGM persons; health in the context of critical relationships in the lives of SGM persons; and the experiences of seeking general and specialized health care among SGM. The time is ripe for deeper examinations of the social determits of SGM health, and this volume seeks to begin filling existing gaps in the literature.

AbstractSame‐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.

A community-based sample of informal AIDS caregivers was surveyed between 1990 and 1992 about the degree to which they perceive reciprocity with the recipient of their care. Equivalent exchanges between caregivers and care recipients are unlikely, a general fact that may have been particularly true in the case of AIDS at the beginning of the 1990s. Yet perceived reciprocity is remarkably high in this sample across all relationship types. Multivariate regression analyses suggest that the highest measured levels of perceived reciprocity are most likely among gay men caring for a lover. In turn, they show reciprocity to be negatively associated with caregiver depression and positively associated with the duration of caregiving. However, this heightened sense of reciprocity among gay men caring for a lover apparently does not insulate them from depressed mood. Rather, the data suggest that these men suffer greater depression than individuals caring for a legal spouse or friend, net an array of other predictive factors.

The authors build on previous stress theories by drawing attention to the concept of anticipatory couple-level minority stressors (i.e., stressors expected to occur in the future that emanate from the stigmatization of certain relationship forms). A focus on anticipatory couple-level minority stressors brings with it the potential for important insight into vulnerabilities and resiliencies of people in same-sex relationships, the focus of this study. The authors use relationship timelines to examine stressors among a diverse sample of same-sex couples (n = 120). Respondents in same-sex relationships anticipated stressors that are likely not unique to same-sex couples (e.g., purchasing a home together) but labeled many of these anticipatory stressors as reflecting the stigmatization of their same-sex relationship. Respondents rated anticipatory minority stressors as more stressful than other anticipatory stressors. Moreover, stressors varied by gender, age, and relationship duration although not race/ethnicity or geographic site. This analysis is a preliminary step in examining how unique anticipatory couple-level minority stressors function as determinants of relationship quality, mental and physical health, and health disparities faced by sexual minority populations. Attempts to understand current stress levels should consider anticipatory stressors alongside past and current life events, chronic strains, daily hassles, and minority stressors, as these processes are impossible to disentangle and may be consequential for current well-being.

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- SERIES FOREWORD -- LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS -- Introduction. The Health and Well-Being of Sexual Minority Couples -- 1. Serious Mental Illness in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Unions -- 2. Well-Being during Time with a Partner among Men and Women in Same-Sex Unions -- 3. Consequences of Unequal Legal Recognition -- 4. Postpartum Depression and Anxiety in Male-Partnered and Female-Partnered Sexual Minority Women -- 5. Health and Health Behaviors among Same-Sex and Different-Sex Coupled Adults with and without Children -- 6. Couples' Conjoint Work Hours and Health Behaviors -- 7. Union Status and Overweight or Obesity among Sexual Minority Men and Women -- 8. Same-Sex Contact and Alternative Medicine Usage among Older Adults -- 9. Activity Limitation Disparities between Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples -- 10. Same-Sex Unions and Adult Mortality Risk -- 11. Access to Health Care for Partnered and Nonpartnered Sexual Minorities -- 12. Law and Same-Sex Couples' Experiences of Childbirth -- 13. Married in Texas -- 14. Social Context and the Stability of Same-Sex and Different-Sex Relationships -- 15. Same-Sex Marriage and Mental Health -- 16. First Sexual Experience with a Same-Sex Partner in the United States -- 17. "Two Sides of a Coin" -- Conclusion. Future Directions for Research on Health of Sexual Minority Couples -- NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS -- INDEX