Dyadic Coping Inventory–Sexual Minority Stress: A Scale Validation With Lesbian, Gay, and Bi+ Men and Women in Same and Different-Gender Couples

Lesbian, gay, and bi+ (LGB+) individuals experience health disparities compared to heterosexual individuals. These disparities can be explained by unique chronic stressors LGB+ individuals experience living in a heterosexist society, referred to as sexual minority stress. Given the dyadic nature of stress for individuals in romantic relationships, stressors may be most effectively dealt with by engaging in dyadic coping with one’s partner. The current Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) has not been validated for use with LGB+ individuals experiencing sexual minority stress. Using a sample of 373 individuals identifying as LGB+ men and women in same and different-gender relationships recruited through Prolific, we conducted a scale validation of a revised version of the English DCI focused on dyadic coping with sexual minority stress (DCISMS). Confirmatory factor analysis results suggested the DCI-SMS is a valid measure of self and partner stress communication and dyadic coping behaviors, and the subscales demonstrated convergent validity with components of positive and negative relationship quality. Tests of measurement invariance indicated that the full DCI-SMS is reliable across individuals in same and different-gender relationships. However, the common dyadic coping subscale, which measures partners’ coping behavior when facing a joint stress, may be less reliable than the full scale or other subscales (configural and metric invariance confirmed, but less evidence supporting scalar invariance). Overall, preliminary evidence suggests the DCISMS is a useful tool for assessing the extent to which LGB+ individuals—particularly those in same-gender relationships—receive and provide support for sexual minority stress in their romantic relationships.