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- Title
Components of Love and Relationship Satisfaction: Lesbians and Heterosexual Women.
- Authors
Cusack, Claire E.; Hughes, Jennifer L.; Cook, Rachel E.
- Abstract
In prior research, relationship satisfaction has been predominandy researched in a hetero-normative context. This study examines relationship satisfaction in 90 lesbians and 213 heterosexual women. We did not find significant differences of relationship satisfaction, commitment, passion, or intimacy based on sexual orientation. In order to determine whether age, length of relationship, and living with children predicted relationship satisfaction, we ran linear regressions. This model was insignificant for heterosexual women, but length of relationship accounted for 36% of the variance of relationship satisfaction, p = .27. Regression analyses were also conducted to determine whether commitment, passion, and intimacy were predictors of relationship satisfaction. We found that passion and intimacy were predictors of relationship satisfaction for both lesbians and heterosexual women, whereas commitment was not significant. Passion and intimacy accounted for 61% of the variance for heterosexual women, p < .001, and 77% of the variance for lesbians, p < .001. This research is interesting because passion and intimacy predict women's relationship satisfaction, in both heterosexual and lesbian relationships. Clinical implications can be drawn to examine these factors of a relationship in therapy to increase overall relationship satisfaction, regardless of sexual orientation.
- Subjects
SEXUAL orientation; LOVE; INTERPERSONAL relations; HETEROSEXUAL women; REGRESSION analysis; SATISFACTION; LESBIANS
- Publication
Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 2012, Vol 17, Issue 4, p171
- ISSN
2164-8204
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.24839/2164-8204.JN17.4.171