Experiences of Rural Sexual and Gender Minority Couples: Does Alcohol Use Explain the Link Between Minority Stress and Intimate Partner Discord and Violence

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Alcohol use and destructive couple conflict, including intimate partner violence (IPV), represent dual public health threats for sexual and gender minorities (SGM), who experience higher rates of these problems than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. Although a broader literature links alcohol use to increased rates of destructive couple conflict, very little work has examined these associations in SGM couples. Here, we draw on alcohol myopia theory and propose that increased daily alcohol use will be associated with higher same-day levels of destructive conflict among SGM couples. Further, we predict that greater drinking to cope motives and higher levels of internalized minority stress (i.e., fear of rejection, worry about concealment, internalized homophobia/transphobia) assessed at baseline will exacerbate the effects of daily minority stress (exposure to discrimination, harassment, and stigmatization) on alcohol use and subsequent destructive conflict. Importantly, these processes will be examined in a sample of SGM couples residing in the rural Midwest—a population that is critical to study because of the increased types and frequency of stigma encountered by SGM individuals living in rural areas as compared to more urban locations. Finally, we test the hypothesis that the detrimental impact of minority stress on alcohol use and destructive couple conflict will be mitigated by greater (a) social support from interpersonal relationships, (b) psychological sense of connection with the LGBTQ+ community, and (c) psychological sense of community with one's rural Midwestern neighborhood. Participants will be 200 SGM couples (i.e., both individuals identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer, and are in a committed intimate relationship). Couples will be recruited from the Midwestern LGBTQ+ Research Registry, established by the MPIs. Our proposed models will be tested using intensive daily diary methods employed over 60 days to track daily experiences of minority stress, alcohol use, and destructive conflict. Findings from this project will provide novel data about the conditions under which daily minority stress contribute to elevated levels of destructive couple conflict via increased alcohol use by rural SGM couples. Our examination of support and community-based resiliency factors will highlight potential points of intervention that can be targeted to interrupt the harmful effects of minority stress on alcohol use and subsequent intimate partner conflict and violence.