The current study investigated how the chronic expectation of discrimination may impact the ability to manage stress and respond emotionally within a romantic relationship. This research question is significant because it has been established that individuals who are marginalized based on their sexual orientation experience higher levels of daily stress than those who do not encounter such prejudices (Ryan et al., 2014; Smith et al., 2016).
Prior research has demonstrated that minorities are more likely to exhibit higher levels of fear when confronting interpersonal challenges compared to majorities (Simmons et al., 2019). To examine this issue, queer individuals were recruited and asked to answer survey items pertaining to their level of anticipation for future encounters with stigma. Next, couples were asked to discuss a hypothetical scenario involving their partner facing discrimination while dating other individuals outside of the relationship.
Each participant's heart rate was recorded as they listened to an emotional story. The findings indicate that queer individuals have heightened physiological responses to stressful situations due to their expectations regarding discrimination in relationships. Future directions should explore strategies to mitigate these effects so that all individuals can form healthy and lasting partnerships.
Queer Individuals Anticipate Discrimination
Queer people often worry about being rejected or mistreated by society at large due to their identities (Hill & Willoughby, 2018). This concern can lead them to develop greater expectations of negative treatment, which may manifest during interactions with others (Goffman, 1959). Specifically, queer people tend to perceive the world as hostile and judgmental towards them, leading to increased vigilance and hypervigilance (Mosher & Cochran, 2018). Such chronic attentiveness could impact one's ability to regulate emotions, particularly within romantic contexts.
If a queer person expects discrimination when out on a date, they may become more tense and anxious than someone who does not feel such pressures (Duncan et al., 2017). These feelings of fear and anxiety are known to increase stress levels (Sheldon & Gunzler, 2013) and disrupt cognitive processing abilities (Berkman & Syme, 1979). Therefore, this study sought to examine how anticipation for discrimination might influence both physical and emotional responses within romantic partnerships.
Couples Experience Stressful Scenarios
In order to better understand how queer couples manage stress in relationships, each participant was asked to imagine that their partner was meeting with another individual outside of the relationship. During this time, the queer partner would be open about their sexual orientation and potentially experience prejudice or rejection from this new acquaintance. Afterwards, the couple was asked to discuss the encounter and report their thoughts and feelings regarding the situation. The results indicated that individuals were significantly more stressed when their partner faced discrimination while dating compared to when they did not face any social challenges during the same activity.
There were no differences between genders in terms of how they coped with these stressors. This finding supports prior research which suggests that minorities have higher levels of physiological arousal in response to interpersonal threats (Simmons et al., 2019). It is unclear why queer people experienced greater stress in this scenario; however, it may relate to a desire to maintain positive perceptions of their identity within the relationship despite negative external experiences (Ryan et al., 2014). Future studies should investigate whether similar patterns are observed across other marginalized groups.
Queer People Display Heightened Emotions
To further explore how anticipation affects emotional regulation, participants listened to an audio recording describing an intense story about a child's death. While listening, their heart rate was monitored and recorded as an objective measure of physiological arousal. Results revealed that those who had reported greater expectations for discrimination exhibited heightened cardiac responses to the emotionally charged narrative. Specifically, queer individuals demonstrated increased heart rates throughout the entirety of the story compared to those without such concerns. These findings suggest that chronic anxiety related to prejudice can influence emotional processing even when faced with non-threatening stimuli.
Additional research is needed to determine if these effects persist over time or only occur in immediate interactions. Moreover, future studies could examine how partners mitigate the impact of discrimination on relationships by utilizing supportive behaviors and positive communication strategies (Smith & Poulin, 2016).
This study provides evidence that queer couples experience increased levels of stress during dating scenarios due to anticipated discrimination. Such chronic fears also impact the way they respond emotionally to challenges within their partnership.
How does the chronic anticipation of discrimination influence stress regulation and emotional responsiveness in queer romantic partnerships?
The chronic anticipation of discrimination can impact stress regulation and emotional responsiveness in queer romantic relationships due to the fear of experiencing negative social reactions or being rejected by others because of one's sexual orientation.