Sexual minorities' uncertainty about their romantic partner's communication with their family: A test of the theory of motivated information management

Markham, Austyn

Publication

Sexual minorities' uncertainty about their romantic partner's communication with their family: A test of the theory of motivated information management

Markham, Austyn

Date

2023-01-04

Abstract

The United States no longer has laws restricting marriages of sexual minority (SM) citizens; however, cultural norms enforced by everyday communication encourage SMs to present their relationships differently to friends and family (Gattamorta & Quidley-Rodriguez, 2018). Across sexual identities, how romantic partners communicate about the relational information they share with those important to them impacts how they cooperatively integrate one another into their lives. The main goal of this study was to utilize the theory of motivated information management (TMIM) to examine SM information management behaviors in response to uncertainty regarding the information their partner has shared with their family about the status of their relationship. The results indicated that efficacy and information seeking about this topic directly predict an individual’s perceptions of relational closeness and satisfaction with their partner, though the indirect effects of uncertainty discrepancy proposed by the TMIM were not significant. Implications and limitations are discussed.