Assessment of Couple Relationships Standards in Same‐Sex Attracted Adults

Abstract

Relationship standards are beliefs about what makes a good romantic relationship. To date, no research on relationship standards in same-sex relationships has been conducted. This paper describes development of the Rainbow Couples Relationship Standards Scale (Rainbow CRSS). In common with measures of relationship standards developed with heterosexuals, the Rainbow CRSS assesses the importance people attach to Couple Bond standards (expression of love, caring, intimacy), Family Responsibility standards (extended family relations, maintenance of face and harmony), Religion, and Relationship Effort standards. The Rainbow CRSS also assesses three standards hypothesized to be of particular importance to same-sex couples: Relationship Outness (public disclosure of the relationship), Sexual Openness (acceptance of open sexual relationship), and Dyadic Coping with Homophobic discrimination. Participants were 414 same-sex attracted men and women who completed the Rainbow CRSS online, plus some validation scales. The Rainbow CRSS showed a coherent two-level factor structure that was similar to that in heterosexual couples for the Couple Bond and Family Responsibility Scales. Same-sex attracted people's standards were similar for men and women, and for singles versus those in a relationship. Same-sex attracted people's standards were very similar in endorsement of Couple Bond, Family Responsibility, Religion, and Relationship Effort standards to those of heterosexuals. The Relationship Outness and Dyadic Coping with Homophobia scales assessed potentially important standards that reflect some distinctive challenges for same-sex couple relationships.

Effects of relationship education on couple flourishing.

“…In addition, the current sample was couples of women partnered with men. The correlates of relationship satisfaction in same-sex and different-sex couples have many commonalities (Baker & Halford, 2020), and a slightly modified form of Couple CARE shows promise in enhancing same-sex couple relationship satisfaction (Pepping et al, 2020). At the same time, there are some distinctive challenges same-sex couples confront (Baker & Halford, 2020), and the generalizability of current findings to same-sex couples or other sexual minority couples should be assessed rather than presumed.…”

The Couple Flourishing Measure

“…The CFM was administered to adults in committed heterosexual relationships. The relationship standards (Baker & Halford, 2019) and behaviors that predict relationship satisfaction (Pepping & Halford, 2014) are more similar than different between heterosexual and homosexual couples. Based on these findings, the relevance of flourishing relationships seems likely to be similar across same‐sex and different‐sex couples.…”

Influences of Family Structure and Intimacy on Emotional Divorce: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

“…The negotiation of gender roles, educational migration, and family practices within the context of Chinese study mothers in living apart together (LAT) relationships has been examined, emphasizing the overlap between practices of intimacy and family practices in cultures that valorize families and intimacy (Qiu, 2019). The assessment of couple relationship standards in same-sex attracted adults has shed light on the interplay between couple bond and family responsibility, underscoring the multifaceted nature of intimacy within diverse family structures (Baker & Halford, 2019). The role of familism in shaping political disagreement and vote volatility across different European countries has been discussed, highlighting the influence of intimacy levels on levels of agreement within family and non-family contexts (Mancosu & Hopmann, 2019).…”