The Interaction of Same-Sex Marriage Access With Sexual Minority Identity on Mental Health and Subjective Wellbeing.
Previous psychological and public health research has highlighted the impact of legal recognition of same-sex relationships on individual identity and mental health. Using a sample of U.S. sexual minority (N = 313) and heterosexual (N = 214) adults, participants completed a battery of mental health inventories prior to the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) examining identity revealed sexual minority participants living in states where same-sex marriage was banned experienced significantly higher levels of internalized homonegativity than sexual minority participants living in states where same-sex marriage was legal, even after controlling for state-level political climate. Mental health ANCOVAs revealed sexual minority participants residing in states without same-sex marriage experienced greater anxiety and lower subjective wellbeing compared to sexual minority participants residing in states with same-sex marriage and heterosexual participants residing in states with or without same-sex marriage. Implications for public policy and future research directions are discussed.
a School of Education , Loyola University Chicago , Chicago , Illinois , USA.
Alexander K
AK
Tatum
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006304:Health Status; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008603:Mental Health; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000523:psychology*
Anxiety; depression; identity; internalized homonegativity; mental health; same-sex marriage; sexual minorities; subjective wellbeing