Stronger Together: The Role of Partner Support in Perceived Relationship Quality among Sexual and Gender Minorities in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey is a country that provides limited rights for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals. Given this, it is important to understand how SMGD individuals may experience stress and how this may impact their romantic relationships. Grounded in the minority stress model, this study investigated the negative association between minority-related stressors and perceived relationship quality. Furthermore, given the important role partner support plays in mitigating the deleterious effects of stress on one's relationship, we also examined whether perceived partner support would mediate the negative association between proximal minority-related stress and perceived relationship quality. Results from 117 SMGD individuals living in Turkey supported the hypotheses. Specifically, distal minority-related stress directly predicted proximal minority-related stress. Proximal minority-related stress directly predicted perceived partner support and indirectly predicted perceived relationship quality, as mediated by perceived partner support. Findings and implications for future research and practice are presented.