Symposia
Couples / Close Relationships
Nicholas Perry, Ph.D.
Research assistant professor
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Alyssa Norris, Ph.D.
Assistant professor (Research)
Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Galena K. Rhoades, Ph.D.
Research Professor
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Introduction: Romantic relationships are a critical context for understanding health. Sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, etc.) individuals face unique challenges to forming romantic relationships, including stigma and navigating outness about sexual orientation. However, we know almost nothing about relationship formation for sexual minority couples or how minority stress affects that process, which has important implications for their well-being.
Method: Sixty cisgender sexual minority couples (30 male couples; 30 female couples) were recruited nationally. Thirty percent of participants identified as a racial/ethnic minority. The average age was 30 (SD=10 years]) and average relationship length was 60 months (SD = 72). Participants were recruited from every major US geographic area. All couples engaged in a ten-minute conversation with each other about their: 1) relationship initiation; 2) early attraction; and 3) early dating experiences. Conversations were recorded remotely via videoconferencing, with 93% having sufficient audio quality for transcription. A codebook was developed based on our research questions and theories of relationship development and minority stress. Two coders coded transcripts using applied thematic analysis with the finalized codebook. They are in the process of reconciling coding discrepancies and are on schedule for completion in May 2022. To date, 14% of transcripts have been fully reconciled.
Results: Identified themes suggest that relationship development among sexual minority couples is complicated by culturally-salient factors, including: (1) a lack of relationship role models; (2) navigation of outness and stigma; (3) cultural norms for dating and sexuality; and (4) an overlap of identity and relationship development. These challenges for sexual minority couples appear to influence early relationship dynamics (e.g., conflict, instability) and pacing of relationship development (e.g., progressing faster than intended).
Conclusions: These rich qualitative data highlight that, from the beginning, sexual minority individuals’ romantic relationships are shaped by a unique social context. Though data focused on early relationship development, many of these themes likely permeate romantic relationships as they develop. Research is needed to understand how sexual minority adults select romantic partners and why they might make the relationship choices they do so that we can better support sexual minority individuals forming strong, healthy romantic bonds.