Factors Associated With Marital Satisfaction of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People During the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Introduction This study investigated the factors associated with the marital satisfaction of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods Study participants were 268 people ( M = 31.63 years of age; SD = 8.33), who self‐reported as lesbian ( n = 112; 41.8%), gay ( n = 85; 31.7%) or bisexual ( n = 71; 26.5%). Of these, 124 (46.3%) reported being cisgender men, and 144 (53.7%) were cisgender women. Participants completed the following online instruments: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Internalised Homophobia Scale, the COVID‐19 Family Environment Scale (CHES) the Distress Scale, and the Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State. Results Results demonstrated that experiencing pre‐pandemic contextual and individual vulnerabilities (internalised homophobia, psychological distress, being male, gay, or non‐white), coupled with pandemic‐related external stressors (working from home) and (un)adaptive processes during the pandemic (conflict and cohesion), negatively impacted the marital satisfaction of LGB individuals. Conclusions and Policy Implications This study provides a broader view of how LGB individuals experienced marital relationships during the pandemic, highlighting aspects that may either exacerbate or mitigate the potential adverse effects of the pandemic crisis on relationships.