title: Three-year follow-up of same-sex couples who had civil unions in Vermont, same-sex couples not in civil unions, and heterosexual married couples.
abstract: This study was a 3-year follow-up of 65 male and 138 female same-sex couples who had civil unions in Vermont during the 1st year of that legislation. These couples were compared with 23 male and 61 female same-sex couples in their friendship circles who did not have civil unions and with 55 heterosexual married couples (1 member of each was a sibling to a member of a civil union couple). Despite the legalized nature of their relationships, civil union couples did not differ on any measure from same-sex couples who were not in civil unions. However, same-sex couples not in civil unions were more likely to have ended their relationships than same-sex civil union or heterosexual married couples. Compared with heterosexual married participants, both types of same-sex couples reported greater relationship quality, compatibility, and intimacy and lower levels of conflict. Longitudinal predictors of relationship quality at Time 2 included less conflict, greater level of outness, and a shorter relationship length for men in same-sex relationships and included less conflict and more frequent sex for women in same-sex relationships at Time 1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Balsam
authors.forename: Theodore P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Beauchaine
authors.forename: Esther D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Rothblum
authors.forename: Sondra E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Solomon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012922:Social Change; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014707:Vermont