There has been an increase in the prevalence of consensual non-monogamy (CNM), with one in five individuals participating in some form of CNM (including polyamory, open relationships, swinging, and other non-monogamous arrangements that permit intimacy with more than one person) at some point in their lives.
According to estimates, around 4 to 5% of Americans are currently involved in a CNM relationship, which is a similar percentage to those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Even though polyamory and open relationships are becoming more popular, new findings indicate that individuals in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships feel a negative social stigma that hurts their health.
Previous studies have indicated that consensual non-monogamy (CNM) tends to be viewed more negatively than monogamy. A recent article in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that these negative perceptions can have real-world consequences.
“People in consensually non-monogamous relationships do indeed report experiencing stigma in a variety of ways,” adds lead author Elizabeth Mahar. “Furthermore, this experienced stigma is associated with psychological distress.”
For their first study, researchers polled 372 CNMs to determine if and how they had encountered this stigma. About 40% of those involved in CNM relationships claimed to have faced discrimination as a consequence. Among those who reported not experiencing stigma, the majority (70%) kept the number of people who were aware of their relationship to a minimum.
Among individuals who claimed to have encountered a CNM-related stigma, four themes emerged:
- Discomfort or disapproval about their relationship with their CNM
- Loss of assets or threatening behavior
- Devaluation or diminishing of their character
- Devaluation or diminishing of their relationship
“Previous research has found that people with marginalized identities (e.g., LGBTQ individuals) experience stigma in a variety of unique ways,” adds Dr. Mahar. “We found a similar pattern for people in consensually non-monogamous relationships.”
In a second study, researchers surveyed 383 participants to examine the impact of stigma on the well-being of individuals in consensual non-monogamy (CNM) relationships. They found that experiencing negative stigma was linked to increased psychological distress. This association was also connected to anticipated stigma (the extent to which people expect to be mistreated or judged negatively because of their CNM relationship) and internalized stigma (the degree to which people feel guilty about their CNM relationship).
Over one-fifth of Americans and Canadians claim to have had a CNM relationship at some time in their lives. Dr. Mahar emphasizes the need of being aware of how your actions may adversely impact the well-being of others in CNM interactions.
“Gaining a better understanding of stigma and how it is linked to well-being will make it possible to develop and implement interventions to effectively mitigate the harmful effects of minority stress for consensually non-monogamous people.”
Source: 10.1177/01461672221139086
Image Credit: Getty