Developmental changes in relationship quality in gay and lesbian cohabiting couples.

Abstract

Changes over 3 annual assessments were examined for both partners of 61 gay and 42 lesbian couples on current levels of attachment, autonomy, and equality in the relationship; the importance of attachment, autonomy, and equality in an ideal relationship; and relationship commitment. Lesbian partners rated ideal equality as more important than did gay partners; for both gay and lesbian partners, the importance of ideal attachment decreased over time; and for lesbian partners only, the importance of ideal equality changed curvilinearly over time. For both gay and lesbian partners, changes in relationship commitment over time were explained by changes in the discrepancy between current and ideal levels of equality as well as between current levels of attachment and current levels of autonomy