RELATIONSHIP OUTCOMES AND THEIR PREDICTORS - LONGITUDINAL EVIDENCE FROM HETEROSEXUAL MARRIED, GAY COHABITING, AND LESBIAN COHABITING COUPLES

Data from partners of 236 married, 66 gay cohabiting, and 51 lesbian c ohabiting couples were used to assess if members of married couples di ffered from those of either gay couples or lesbian couples on five dim ensions of relationship quality (intimacy, autonomy, equality, constru ctive problem solving, and barriers to leaving), two relationship outc omes (the trajectory of change in relationship satisfaction and relati onship dissolution over 5 years), and the link between each dimension of relationship quality and each relationship outcome, Relative to mar ried partners, gay partners reported more autonomy, Sewer barriers to leaving, and more frequent relationship dissolution Relative to marrie d partners, lesbian partners reported more intimacy, more autonomy, mo re equality, fewer barriers to leaving and more frequent relationship dissolution. Overall, the strength with which the dimensions of relati onship quality were linked to each relationship outcome for married pa rtners was equivalent to that for both gay and lesbian partners.