Same-gender couples have higher-quality interactions with one another than heterosexual couples in Southern California, a new UC Riverside study finds. Researcher Megan Robbins says the recently published study is the first to compare same- and different-sex couples' social networks and daily interactions with one another. Past research shows that same-gender couples enjoy strengths including appreciation of individual differences, positive emotions, and effective communication.
But research hasn't compared the quality of their daily interactions -- inside and outside the couple dynamic -- to those of heterosexual couples. Reasons for potential differences include the stigma sexual minorities face, and also their resilience. For the study, Robbins and her team recruited same-gender and different-gender couples throughout Southern California. The couples had to be in a married or "married-like" committed relationship; living together for at least a year; and have no physical or mental health conditions that impeded their daily functioning.
Among those who applied to be in the study, 78 couples were found to be eligible, 77 of which provided enough data to be used. Twenty-four of the couples were woman-woman; 20 were man-man, and 33 were man-woman. Participants met with the researchers on two separate Fridays, a month apart, completing surveys. They received text or email prompts several times in the days following the in-person meetings. In terms of social networks, the study found couples in man-man relationships had smaller social networks than woman-woman and man-woman couples.
On the other end of the results spectrum, women in relationships with men were most likely to have the largest social networks. Robbins said the finding is consistent with previous research showing men with men experience the least acceptance among family members.
We found some support for this by learning that the men with men had the smallest social networks in our sample. The quality of interactions with families was reported to be greatest by same-gender couples.
