Premium
Differences Between Partners From Heterosexual, Gay, and Lesbian Cohabiting Couples
Author(s) -
Kurdek Lawrence A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00268.x
Subject(s) - lesbian , psychology , heterosexuality , social psychology , developmental psychology , homosexuality , psychoanalysis
Partners from four types of couples without children (gay unmarried, lesbian unmarried, heterosexual unmarried, and heterosexual married, N s = 1,412, 1,310, 1,036, and 1,728, respectively) were compared to partners from heterosexual married couples with children ( N = 3,116) on mean levels of variables from a model of relationship adjustment as well as on the strength of links posited by the model. Although 82% of the mean‐level comparisons were significant, only 36% of the comparisons had effect sizes that were at least small in strength. Type of couple affected links between variables in only 33% of the instances, with effect sizes trivial in strength. Findings support the view that despite variability in structure, close dyadic relationships work in similar ways.