Objective:

This study examined: 1) Differences among sexual and gender minority (SGM) and non-SGM couples’ life course stress, posttraumatic growth (PTG), individual, and dyadic wellbeing while facing cancer, 2) The predictive ability of PTG and life course stress on wellbeing for each dyad member and, 3) The predictive ability of dyad-level PTG and dyad-level life course stress on dyadic wellbeing.

Methods:

Thirty SGM and 30 non-SGM dyads (N=60) completed measures assessing demographics, life course stress, PTG, individual, and dyadic wellbeing. Regression and multilevel models tested predictive hypotheses.

Results:

Participants were 56.3 years old on average (SD = 13.6) and were together for 24.2 (SD = 14.9) years. SGM participants reported greater life course stress and higher scores on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) than non-SGM participants. A dyad members’ higher PTG predicted their partners’ higher DASS-21 score, dyad members’ higher life course stress predicted their own higher DASS-21 score, and patients’ higher life course stress predicted their partners’ higher DASS-21 score. Greater dyadic PTG predicted greater dyadic wellbeing.

Conclusions:

SGM and non-SGM couples experience PTG equally despite SGM couples’ greater life course stress and higher DASS-21 scores. Future research is needed to explore how PTG may affect individuals and couples differently. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.