Romantic relationships are one of the most salient social relationships for health during the transition to adulthood and into adulthood. Different-sex relationships that develop in the typical stage of life, and certain relationship structures, such as marriage, are linked to better physical and mental health for heterosexual individuals. Yet research on romantic relationships fails to consider the relationship experiences of sexual minority adolescents and young adults, including lesbian, gay, or bisexual individuals.
Sexual minorities face unique barriers to developing romantic relationships during the transition to adulthood that may offset health benefits gained from these relationships. Because sexual minorities experience elevated substance use and mental health problems compared to their heterosexual counterparts, understanding the role of romantic relationships in contributing to sexual minority health is critical.
The goal of this project is to establish how associations between sexual minority romantic relationships and health vary by relationship timing, structure, and quality, using data from a large, nationally representative sample. This project will enhance scholarly knowledge about how sexual minority relationship timing and structure are either protective or detrimental for health from adolescence to adulthood, and identify how relationship-specific processes alter these pathways.