Positive Affect Is Associated With Well-Being Among Sexual and Gender Minorities and Couples

Positive affect (PA) is a key determinant of well-being among sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). Despite a well-formed literature on PA's beneficial impact in other contexts (e.g., HIV care) among SGMs, little work has examined PA's interrelations with mental and relational well-being among partnered SGMs. We examined the normative trajectory of PA among partnered SGMs assigned male at birth (SGM-AMABs; N = 155) embedded in a longitudinal cohort (2008-2022) and associated this with key indices of well-being (depression, negative communication, relationship quality, dyadic coping). Next, we modeled PA's association with well-being among a subset of couples enrolled in this cohort (N = 43 dyads). Latent growth curve models suggested that PA declined over time, but that any increased PA was associated with lower depression and higher relationship quality. Actor-partner interdependence models suggested a similar health-promotive association of PA, as well as novel associations that should be the topic of future study. Collectively, these results imply that interventions designed to increase PA among SGM-AMABs should consider the dyadic context and may be successfully applied to increase SGM-AMABs' well-being. Public Significance Statement<br /> Positive emotion is an important aspect of buffering adversity for sexual and gender minorities. This report shows, to our knowledge for the first time, that positive affect has beneficial associations with well-being among sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth. This suggests that positive emotion interventions may be a viable option for reducing health disparities.