I get so lonely, baby: The effects of loneliness and social isolation on romantic dependency

Minority stress processes have been consistently linked to increased internalizing symptoms among sexual minority individuals. However, very little research has studied the impact of minority stress on the mental health of same-sex couples. The present study examined associations of actor and partner heterosexist microaggressions and internalized heterosexism with internalizing symptoms, moderated by dyadic coping, among male same-sex couples. Participants were 774 men who have sex with men (387 dyads). Results of actor-partner interdependence models showed that actor, but not partner, minority stress was positively associated with internalizing symptoms. Dyadic coping moderated the association of actor heterosexist microaggressions on internalizing symptoms such that for those who engaged in more dyadic coping, the association of heterosexist microaggressions with internalizing symptoms was weaker. Dyadic coping also moderated the association of partner internalized heterosexism on internalizing symptoms. For those who engaged in more dyadic coping, their partner's internalized heterosexism was associated with greater internalizing symptoms. Although dyadic coping may buffer the effects of minority stress on internalizing symptoms, if partners rely too heavily on one another to cope with stress, it may be detrimental to their mental health. Implications for relationship education interventions for same-sex couples are discussed. Public Significance StatementFor same-sex couples, an individual's experience of stress as a result of their marginalized status may impact not only their own mental health but also that of their partner. This study suggests that when male same-sex couples cope with that stress together, it can reduce this impact, but when engaged in very frequently, joint coping can exacerbate the effects of one partner's stress on the other's anxiety and depression.

This study examined the relationship between university students' social isolation experience and job search self-efficacy. Demographic variables (gender and seniority) were examined to explain these relationships. In addition, the career guide's moderator role has been investigated on the relationship between social isolation experience and job search self-efficacy. Within the scope of the research, data were collected from 275 university students using the snowball method. The findings obtained from the sample revealed that social isolation experience was negatively related to job search self-efficacy. According to the results, there is no significant difference between men and women in terms of job search self-efficacy. This study also demonstrated that grade level is essential for explaining job search self-efficacy. Using structural equation modeling findings indicated that career guidance significantly moderated the relationship between social isolation experience and job search self-efficacy. These results suggest that feeling alone or excluded for undergraduate students may link to job search behaviors and decrease confidence in career decision-making.

El objetivo de esta investigación fue adaptar y validar la Escala de Dependencia Específica del Cónyuge para Mujeres (EDEC-M) para su uso en el contexto brasileño, que consta de 30 ítems. En el estudio 1, participaron 347 mujeres. Se obtuvo una estructura de tres dimensiones: apego ansioso (α = .88), dependencia emocional (α = .80) y dependencia exclusiva (α = .72), con consistencia interna satisfactoria. En el segundo estudio, participaron 325 mujeres, se probaron tres modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Los resultados indicaron que el EDEC-M presentó mejores índices de ajuste en el modelo jerárquico de segundo orden: χ2 /df = 1.89; CFI = .95; TLI = .95; GFI = .95; RMSEA .05 y SRMR = 0.07. Este modelo fue apoyado por el Teoria de Respuesta al Item (TRI), que analizó una variación satisfactoria de la dificultad del ítem y permitió la construcción de un Mapa de ítems para la medición. Por lo tanto, el EDEC-M presentó propiedades psicométricas de validez de constructo para el contexto brasileño en mujeres.