Sexual Agreements Among Young Sexual and Gender Minorities Assigned Male at Birth: Associations with Relationship Quality and Break-Up

Lisa M. Godfrey*, Sarah W. Whitton, Christina Dyar, Michael E. Newcomb, Brian Mustanski

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that sexual non-monogamy is not associated with lower relationship satisfaction among adult male same-sex couples and may therefore be a viable alternative to monogamy. However, sexual minority men with non-monogamous agreements have reported lower commitment and trust in their relationships than those with monogamous agreements—potentially raising their risk of break-up. In this study, we investigated whether sexual agreements (monogamous, non-monogamous, or no sexual agreement) were associated with relationship quality and rates of break-up over 1 year in a sample of 338 young sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth (SGM-AMAB). Participants reported their sexual agreement and indices of relationship quality (satisfaction, trust, and commitment) at baseline, as well as their relationship status (intact or broken up) at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Results showed no significant differences by sexual agreement in concurrent trust, but participants with monogamous agreements reported higher satisfaction and commitment than those with non-monogamous agreements or no sexual agreement. Despite these significant differences in relationship quality, there were no significant differences in rates of break-up at 6- or 12-month follow-up across the sexual agreement types. However, having a monogamous agreement was indirectly associated with lower rates of break-up through relationship commitment. Although results were mixed, findings provide some preliminary support that young SGM-AMAB in relationships with monogamous agreements may have higher satisfaction and commitment at early relationship stages, and that monogamous agreements may be a protective factor against break-up over 1 year through the mechanism of relationship commitment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1035-1045
Number of pages11
JournalArchives of Sexual Behavior
Volume50
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2021

Funding

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University Research Council at the University of Cincinnati. RADAR is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award No. U01-01DA036939 (PI: Mustanski). The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the view of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, University of Cincinnati, or the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to thank the entire RADAR Research Team, particularly Dr. Thomas Remble and Antonia Clifford for overseeing the project and Daniel T. Ryan for data management. We also thank the RADAR participants for sharing their experiences with us.

Keywords

  • Emerging adulthood
  • Relationship quality
  • Sexual agreements
  • Sexual orientation
  • Transgender

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • General Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sexual Agreements Among Young Sexual and Gender Minorities Assigned Male at Birth: Associations with Relationship Quality and Break-Up'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this