RELIGIOUS IDENTITY/SEXUAL ORIENTATION IDENTITY CONFLICT AMONG SAME-SEX ATTRACTED INDIVIDUALS: IMPACT ON IDENTITY DISTRESS, INTERNALIZED HOMONEGATIVITY, RELATIONSHIP AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION

Abstract

Regardless of specific practice, religious and spiritual identities play important roles in the lives of billions of individuals around the globe. Many struggle to define their religious/spiritual identity throughout the course of their lives; however, same-sex attracted individuals often face a unique internal conflict between their sexual orientation identity and their religious identities. The present study explored a variety of factors related to the experience of this conflict. The findings suggest a predictive relationship between membership in a same-sex attraction rejecting religious community in childhood and an experience of identity conflict. Additionally, conflict was significantly positively related to internalized homonegativity and sexual orientation identity distress. This study further sought to explore the interaction between identity conflict and relationship, and sexual satisfaction in same-sex romantic relationships. The findings suggest a negative relationship between experience of conflict and relationship sexual satisfaction. Relationship and sexual satisfaction were both significantly and negatively correlated with internalized homonegativity and identity distress.