“Creating a Culture that Fits Us Better”: Intersectional Stress and Relational Strengths in Non-heteronormative Intercultural Relationships

This study examined the stressors experienced by individuals in non-heteronormative intercultural romantic relationships and investigated how they navigate these challenges to foster relationship satisfaction. Guided by a qualitative methodology rooted in interpretivist epistemology and constructionist ontology, we explored the lived experiences of 11 participants engaged in such relationships. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit participants’ reflections on relational dynamics, including cultural differences, minority stress, conflict, relational benefits, and resilience strategies within their unique social and cultural contexts. Through thematic analysis, we identified complex and intersectional stressors, such as systemic oppression, cultural value conflict, and identity invalidation, which were often exacerbated by environments lacking identity affirmation. Participants described employing protective strategies, including culturally attuned conflict negotiation, selective identity management, and engagement with identity-affirming communities. Despite these challenges, participants also reported relational strengths, such as the freedom to redefine inherited values and a deepened sense of authenticity. These findings highlight the importance of culturally responsive and identity-affirming support systems in psychological practice and relationship research. Such frameworks should account for the layered nature of minority stress while recognising the strengths and adaptive strategies individuals contribute to self-expansion, belonging, and love within non-heteronormative intercultural relationships.