In Press articles with pre-publication information
You may download pre-publication versions of many of our in press papers. Please note that these are pre-publication drafts and changes may be made to the text before publication. Please check with the final publication before quoting from the paper, or check with the author for changes.
Otis, M. D., Rostosky, S.S., Riggle, E.D.B., & Hamrin, R. (In press). Stress and relationship quality in same-sex couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
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This study focuses on the relationship between sources of minority stress and the quality of same-sex couples' relationships. Interdependence theory and the minority stress model are used to examine actor-partner effects of internalized homophobia, discrimination, and perceived stress on perceptions of relationship quality in same-sex couples. Couples were recruited through web-based solicitations (N = 131). OLS regression and Kenny's (1996) technique for examining interdependent relationships for exchangeable dyad members were used to identify between and within couple differences. Internalized homophobia and discrimination were found to impact couple members in unique ways. Higher levels of internalized homophobia and discrimination were predictive of less favorable perceptions of relationship quality, however, as hypothesized the overall impact was mediated by levels of perceived stress.
Otis, M.D., Riggle, E.D.B., & Rostosky, S.S. (In press.) Impact of mental health on perceptions of relationship satisfaction and quality among female same-sex couples. Journal of Lesbian Studies.
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Using data from both partners in female same-sex couples, individual and dyadic (individual/actor-partner) level analyses were conducted to determine the associations between couple members' global mental health, internalized homophobia, and perceptions of relationship qualities and satisfaction (N = 90). Findings at the dyadic level indicated that an individual's global mental health was uniquely associated with her partner's assessment of relationship satisfaction and qualities, beyond the effects of the individual's own mental health and internalized homophobia. Implications for further research on the strengths and challenges within female same-sex couple relationships are discussed.
Riggle, E.D.B., & Rostosky, S.S. (In press). The well-being consequences of marriage policy. In C. Rimmerman & C. Wilcox (Eds.) The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Introduction: While the citizens of the United States compassionately grieved with the spouses of the victims in the tragedy of September 11 (2001), the same-sex partners of victims of this tragedy suffered the compounded consequences of a vulnerable (and often invisible) social and legal status. Was the loss of these committed relationships any less tragic because of the lack of a civil marriage license? Was the grief of surviving partners any less deserving of a compassionate response because they were not labeled by the government as "spouse" or "family"? Did government policies denying civil marriage to same-sex couples exacerbate the pain and suffering of those who lost their same-sex partner?
The denial of the right of same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage is an institutionalized form of stigma. This stigmatization, especially in the context of the current public debates and actions, devalues the relationships of same-sex couples and ultimately induces psychological harm. A public policy that induces harm by devaluation of a group of citizens is a public health issue. To apply Chief Justice Warren's words from Brown v Board of Education (1954), to separate same-sex relationships from others of similar circumstance solely because of their choice of intimate partner "generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone." Thus, the effect of current civil marriage policy is to exacerbate the negative psychological (and consequent physical) health effects of stigmatization through the sanction of law.
The culture of devaluation, including overt and subtle prejudice and discrimination, creates and reinforces the chronic, everyday stress that interferes with optimal human development and well-being. This form of chronic stress is referred to in the psychosocial literature as minority stress (Brooks, 1981; Meyer 1995, 2003). We begin this chapter by reviewing this framework and its particular application to sexual minority individuals and same-sex couples. We then use this minority stress framework as the basis for our argument that current policy regarding civil marriage for same-sex couples negatively affects the health and well-being of families: 1) by socially constructing a stigmatized family form composed of members who anticipate and experience discrimination; 2) by creating a legal status that induces and institutionalizes vulnerability, leaving couples open to financial and emotional crises; and 3) by reinforcing and perpetuating a rhetoric based on discriminatory attitudes and bias-based fears rather than democratic values and civility. We illustrate these points with findings from qualitative studies of relational commitment in over 100 same-sex couples. We conclude the chapter by suggesting that the inequity perpetuated by current civil marriage policy is a public health issue that needs to be addressed in policy and social context as a necessary step toward promoting well-being for all citizens.
Riggle, E. D.B., Rostosky, S.S., & Prather, R.A. (In press). The execution of advance planning documents by same-sex couples. Journal of Family Issues.
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The lack of legal recognition of same-sex couples can leave partners vulnerable in a crisis or emergency. Advance planning is one strategy couples can use to establish legal rights. Analyses of data collected from both partners in 131 same-sex couples suggested that executing advance planning documents (wills, powers of attorney for finance and health care, and living wills) was associated with age and couple-level relational variables. Older couples and couples that reported higher commitment levels were more likely to have executed the four documents. Couples who had disclosed their relationship to a higher percentage of their relatives were more likely to have executed wills and living wills. Implications of these findings for public policy and social services affecting same-sex couples are discussed.
Rostosky, S.S., Otis, M.D., Riggle, E.D.B., Brumett, S.K., & Brodnicki, C. (In press). An Exploratory Study of Religiosity and Same-Sex Couple Relationships. Journal of GLBT Family Studies.
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An apparent lack of empirical research on religiosity and same-sex couple relationships led to an exploratory examination of the role of religiosity in the relationships of 90 same-sex couples. For most couple members, religious expression took an internal or private form rather than a public form. Couples tended to be homogamous in their religiosity. Couple homogamy of intrinsic religiosity (but not of affiliation or public/private religious activities) was associated with higher relationship satisfaction. Couples used various strategies to address conflicts between sexual identity and religiosity including abandoning public religiosity in favor of private religious expression or retaining a public expression by integrating or compartmentalizing sexual minority identities. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Rostosky, S.S., Riggle, E.D.B., Dudley, M.G., & Comer Wright, M.L. (In press). Relational commitment: A qualitative analysis of same-sex couples' conversations. Journal of Homosexuality.
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Theoretical constructs and meanings of relational commitment for same-sex couples have typically been generalized from heterosexual relationships. Same-sex couples, however, face a unique set of challenges in constructing committed relationships. To expand our knowledge of the meaning of commitment, same-sex couples described their lived experiences in defining and creating a committed relationship. Transcripts of the conversations of 14 same-sex couples (7 male and 7 female couples) were subjected to analysis using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method (Hill, Thompson, and Williams, 1997). Seven domains emerged, revealing that these same-sex couples constructed the meaning of commitment through comparisons, costs, intra-couple differences, investments, personal and relationship values and ideals, rewards, and sexual boundaries. Unique aspects of commitment are discussed as well as the implications of these findings for future research and service delivery.