Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T02:54:02.297Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Concordance in Reported Love, Trust, and Relationship Quality Among Same-Sex Male Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2019

Anna Bratcher*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Erin Kahle
Affiliation:
Center for Sexual and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Department of Health Behaviors and Biological Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Michigan, USA
Patrick Sullivan
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Marco A. Hidalgo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA Division of Adolescent Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Matthew J. Mimiaga
Affiliation:
Departments of Behavioral and Social Health Sciences and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA Center for Health Equity Research, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachussets, USA
Rob Garofalo
Affiliation:
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dana Pardee
Affiliation:
The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachussets, USA
Samuel Hoehnle
Affiliation:
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jennie Thai
Affiliation:
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Ruth Dana
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Rob Stephenson
Affiliation:
Department of Health Behaviors and Biological Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Michigan, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Anna Bratcher, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This article examines concurrence of self-reported love, trust, and dyadic quality experiences between partners in 293 male couples. Significant yet poor concurrence was observed for all three self-reported relationship measures, but varied by relationship characteristics. Using an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), actor and partner characteristics were shown to be associated with self-reported relationship concerns, such as satisfaction and intimate partner violence. This knowledge is important in the development and delivery of couples-based health interventions, such as couples HIV testing and counselling, for interventions that respect the unique relationship dynamics of each couple are needed to effectively address dyadic health.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bartholomew, K., & Cobb, R.J. (2010). Cnceptualizing relationship 14 violence as a dyadic process. In Horowitz, L.M. & Strack, S. (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal psychology: Theory, research, assessment and therapeutic interventions, (pp. 233248). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Braithwaite, S.R., Delevi, R., & Fincham, F.D. (2010). Romantic relationships and the physical and mental health of college students. Personal Relationships, 17, 112.Google Scholar
Chervonsky, E., & Hunt, C. (2017). Suppression and expression of emotion in social and interpersonal outcomes: A meta-analysis. Emotion, 17, 669683.Google Scholar
Cicchetti, D.V. (1994). Guidelines, criteria, and rules of thumb for evaluating normed and standardized assessment instruments in psychology. Psychological Assessment, 6, 284290.Google Scholar
Crepaz, N., & Marks, G. (2002). Towards an understanding of sexual risk behavior in people living with HIV: A review of social, psychological, and medical findings. Aids, 16, 135149.Google Scholar
Crocker, J., Canevello, A., & Lewis, K.A. (2017). Romantic relationships in the ecosystem: Compassionate goals, nonzero-sum beliefs, and change in relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112, 5875.Google Scholar
Finneran, C., & Stephenson, R. (2014). Antecedents of intimate partner violence among gay and bisexual men. Violence and Victims, 29, 422435.Google Scholar
Gerace, A., Day, A., Casey, S., & Mohr, P. (2017). ‘I think, you think’: Understanding the importance of self-reflection to the taking of another person's perspective. Journal of Relationships Research, 8, e9. doi:10.1017/jrr.2017.8Google Scholar
Gomez, A.M., Beougher, S.C., Chakravarty, D., Neilands, T.B., Mandic, C.G., Darbes, L.A., & Hoff, C.C. (2012). Relationship dynamics as predictors of broken agreements about outside sexual partners: Implications for HIV prevention among gay couples. AIDS and Behavior, 16, 15841588.Google Scholar
Graham, J.M., Liu, Y.J., & Jeziorski, J.L. (2006). The dyadic adjustment scale: A reliability generalization meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 701717. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00284.Google Scholar
Heck, J.E., Sell, R.L., & Gorin, S.S. (2006). Health care access among individuals involved in same-sex relationships. American Journal of Public Health, 96, 11111118.Google Scholar
Herbst, J.H., Sherba, R.T., Crepaz, N., DeLuca, J.B., Zohrabyan, L., Stall, R.D., Lyles, C.M., & HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Synthesis Team. (2005). A meta-analytic review of HIV behavioral interventions for reducing sexual risk behavior of men who have sex with men. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 39, 228241.Google Scholar
Hertzmark, E., & Spiegelman, D. (2010). The SAS ICC9 macro. Retrieved from https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/271/2012/09/icc9.pdfGoogle Scholar
Hoff, C.C., Chakravarty, D., Beougher, S.C., Neilands, T.B., & Darbes, L.A. (2012). Relationship characteristics associated with sexual risk behavior among MSM in committed relationships. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 26, 738745.Google Scholar
Hosking, W. (2013). Agreements about extra-dyadic sex in gay men's relationships: Exploring differences in relationship quality by agreement type and rule-breaking behavior. Journal of Homosexuality, 60, 711733.Google Scholar
Jaremka, L.M., Glaser, R., Malarkey, W.B., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. (2013). Marital distress prospectively predicts poorer cellular immune function. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38, 27132719.Google Scholar
Kenny, D.A., Kashy, D.A., & Cook, W.L. (2006). Dyadic analysis. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Kim, J.S., Weisberg, Y.J., Simpson, J.A., Oriña, M.M., Farrell, A.K., & Johnson, W.F. (2015). Ruining it for both of us: The disruptive role of low-trust partners on conflict resolution in romantic relationships. Social Cognition, 33, 520542.Google Scholar
Kurdek, L.A., & Schmitt, J.P. (1986). Relationship quality of partners in heterosexual married, heterosexual cohabiting, and gay and lesbian relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 711720.Google Scholar
Larzelere, R.E., & Huston, T.L. (1980). The Dyadic Trust Scale: Toward understanding interpersonal trust in close relationships. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42, 595604. doi:10.2307/351903Google Scholar
Lemieux, R., & Hale, J. L. (1999). Intimacy, passion, and commitment in young romantic relationships: Successfully measuring the triangular theory of love. Psychological Reports, 85, 497503.Google Scholar
Love, A.B., & Holder, M.D. (2016). Can romantic relationship quality mediate the relation between psychopathy and subjective well-being? Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 24072429.Google Scholar
Mitchell, J.W. (2014). Between and within couple-level factors associated with gay male couples’ investment in a sexual agreement. AIDS and Behavior, 18, 14541465.Google Scholar
Mitchell, J.W., Harvey, S.M., Champeau, D., Moskowitz, D.A., & Seal, D.W. (2012a). Relationship factors associated with gay male couples’ concordance on aspects of their sexual agreements: Establishment, type, and adherence. AIDS and Behavior, 16, 15601569.Google Scholar
Mitchell, J.W., Harvey, S.M., Champeau, D., & Seal, D.W. (2012b). Relationship factors associated with HIV risk among a sample of gay male couples. AIDS and Behavior, 16, 404411.Google Scholar
Mohr, J.J., & Fassinger, R.E. (2006). Sexual orientation identity and romantic relationship quality in same-sex couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 10851099.Google Scholar
Parsons, J.T., Starks, T.J., DuBois, S., Grov, C., & Golub, S.A. (2013). Alternatives to monogamy among gay male couples in a community survey: Implications for mental health and sexual risk. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42, 303312.Google Scholar
Pilkington, C.J., Kern, W., & Indest, D. (1994). Is safer sex necessary with a ‘safe’ partner? Condom use and romantic feelings. Journal of Sex Research, 31, 203210.Google Scholar
Proulx, C.M., Helms, H.M., & Buehler, C. (2007). Marital quality and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 576593.Google Scholar
Pruitt, K.L., White, D., Mitchell, J.W., & Stephenson, R. (2015). Sexual agreements and intimate-partner violence among male couples. International Journal of Sexual Health, 27, 429441.Google Scholar
Robles, T.F., Slatcher, R.B., Trombello, J.M., & McGinn, M.M. (2014). Marital quality and health: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 140, 140.Google Scholar
Spanier, G.B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 1528. doi:10.2307/350547Google Scholar
Stephenson, R., Rentsch, C., Salazar, L.F., & Sullivan, P.S. (2011). Dyadic characteristics and intimate partner violence among men who have sex with men. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 12, 324332.Google Scholar
Stephenson, R., Suarez, N.A., Garofalo, R., Hidalgo, M.A., Hoehnle, S., Thai, J., … Sullivan, P. (2017). Project stronger together: Protocol to test a dyadic intervention to improve engagement in HIV care among sero-discordant male couples in three US cities. JMIR Research Protocols, 6, e170.Google Scholar
Thompson, A., & O'Sullivan, L. (2016). I can but you can't: Inconsistencies in judgments of and experiences with infidelity. Journal of Relationships Research, 7, e3. doi:10.1017/jrr.2016.1Google Scholar
Todosijevic, J., Rothblum, E.D., & Solomon, S.E. (2005). Relationship satisfaction, affectivity, and gay-specific stressors in same-sex couples joined in civil unions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 158166.Google Scholar
Zimmer-Gembeck, M.J., & Ducat, W. (2010). Positive and negative romantic relationship quality: Age, familiarity, attachment and well-being as correlates of couple agreement and projection. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 879890.Google Scholar