Intimate Pride: a Tri-Nation Study on Associations between Positive Minority Identity Aspects and Relationship Quality in Sexual Minorities from German-Speaking Countries

Magdalena Siegel; Ashley K Randall; Pamela J Lannutti; Melanie S Fischer; Yuvamathi Gandhi; Raphaela Lukas; Nathalie Meuwly; Orsolya Rosta-Filep; Katharina van Stein; Beate Ditzen; Tamás Martos; Carmen Schneckenreiter; Casey J Totenhagen; Martina Zemp

doi:10.1007/s41042-022-00070-6

Intimate Pride: a Tri-Nation Study on Associations between Positive Minority Identity Aspects and Relationship Quality in Sexual Minorities from German-Speaking Countries

Int J Appl Posit Psychol. 2022 Aug 2:1-29. doi: 10.1007/s41042-022-00070-6. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
² Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium.
³ Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA.
⁴ Center for Human Sexuality Studies, Widener University, Chester, USA PA.
⁵ Institute of Medical Psychology, Heidelberg University Hospital & Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁶ Department of Psychology, Institute for Family Research and Counseling, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁷ Doctoral School, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁸ Department of Personality, Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
⁹ Human Development and Family Studies, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA AL.

Abstract

Investigations into the intimate relationships of sexual minorities are proliferating, but often adopt a deficit-oriented and US-centered perspective. In this tri-nation online study with sexual minority participants from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland (N = 571), we (i) assessed the construct validity of the German version of a well-known measure for positive minority identity aspects (the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Positive Identity Measure; LGB-PIM), and (ii) explored associations between these aspects (self-awareness, authenticity, community, capacity for intimacy, and social justice) and self-reported relationship quality. Model fit of the German version of the LGB-PIM was deemed acceptable. Higher levels of positive minority identity aspects showed small to moderate associations with higher levels of relationship quality in bivariate analyses, but only capacity for intimacy was linked to relationship quality in higher-order models (controlling for country, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, relationship length, and psychological distress). Results remained robust in several sensitivity analyses. Our results highlight the differential role of positive identity aspects for relationship functioning, with capacity for intimacy as a fruitful leverage point for therapeutic work.