Department of Political Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0027, USA.
J Fam Psychol. 2010 Feb;24(1):82-6. doi: 10.1037/a0017942.
Legal recognition of same-sex couple relationships provides at least some material benefits to couple members; however, few studies have examined the associations between legal recognition and psychological distress or well-being. Using an online survey sample of 2,677 lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) individuals, participants were placed in 4 groups: single, dating, in a committed relationship, and in a legally recognized relationship. Analyses revealed that participants in committed or legally recognized relationships reported less psychological distress (i.e., internalized homophobia, depressive symptoms, and stress) and more well-being (i.e., the presence of meaning in life) than single participants. Significant group differences and multivariate analyses indicated that participants in a legally recognized relationship reported less internalized homophobia, fewer depressive symptoms, lower levels of stress, and more meaning in their lives than those in committed relationships, even after controlling for other factors. The need for further research on the psychological benefits of legal relationship recognition for same-sex couples is discussed.
同性伴侣关系的法律认可至少为伴侣成员提供了一些物质利益；然而，很少有研究调查法律认可与心理困扰或幸福感之间的关联。本研究使用了一个包含 2677 名女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋（LGB）个体的在线调查样本，参与者被分为 4 组：单身、约会、处于承诺关系中、处于合法认可的关系中。分析显示，处于承诺关系或合法认可关系中的参与者报告的心理困扰（即内化的恐同症、抑郁症状和压力）较少，幸福感（即生活意义的存在）较高，而单身参与者则报告的心理困扰较多，幸福感较低。显著的组间差异和多元分析表明，与处于承诺关系中的参与者相比，处于合法认可关系中的参与者报告的内化恐同症较少，抑郁症状较少，压力水平较低，生活意义更大，即使在控制了其他因素之后也是如此。讨论了需要进一步研究同性伴侣关系法律认可对他们的心理益处。
