Relationship Outcomes and Their Predictors: Longitudinal Evidence from Heterosexual Married, Gay Cohabiting, and Lesbian Cohabiting Couples

• Published in: Journal of marriage and family Vol. 60; no. 3; pp. 553 - 568
• Main Author: Kurdek, Lawrence A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden National Council on Family Relations 01-08-1998; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Cohabitation; Comparative Analysis; Divorce; Evidence; Female homosexuality; Females; Gay rights; Gays & lesbians; Gays and lesbians; Gender Differences; Heterosexuality; Homosexual Relationships; Intimacy; Lesbianism; Males; Marital Relations; Marriage; Modeling; Personal relationships; Problem Solving; Psychometrics; Rates of change; Relationship Quality; Same sex marriage; Sexual Orientation; Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations; Social research; Sociology; Sociology of the family. Age groups; Trajectories; United States Of America; Marital relation; Homosexuality; Separation; Intimacy; Heterosexuality; Couple; Demographic factor; Satisfaction; Autonomy; Equality; Conflict Resolution
• ISSN: 0022-2445; 1741-3737
• DOI: 10.2307/353528

Data from partners of 236 married, 66 gay cohabiting, and 51 lesbian cohabiting couples were used to assess if members of married couples differed from those of either gay couples or lesbian couples on five dimensions of relationship quality (intimacy, autonomy, equality, constructive problem solving, and barriers to leaving), two relationship outcomes (the trajectory of change in relationship satisfaction and relationship dissolution over 5 years), and the link between each dimension of relationship quality and each relationship outcome. Relative to married partners, gay partners reported more autonomy, fewer barriers to leaving, and more frequent relationship dissolution. Relative to married partners, lesbian partners reported more intimacy, more autonomy, more equality, fewer barriers to leaving, and more frequent relationship dissolution. Overall, the strength with which the dimensions of relationship quality were linked to each relationship outcome for married partners was equivalent to that for both gay and lesbian partners.