Examining Partnership-Health Associations Among Lesbian Women and Gay Men Using Population-Level Data

The aim was to provide the first broad assessment of partnership-health associations across partnership statuses among lesbian and gay individuals.

Using population-level data from the 2016 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, specifically the 26 states/territories that assessed sexual orientation and gender identity, we ran analyses of covariance and logistic regressions to compare lesbian and gay individuals (N = 2963) of different partnership statuses in general health, physical health and health conditions, mental health, health behaviors, and health care access/utilization domains.

All omnibus and logistic regression models were significant (p < 0.001). Follow-up pairwise comparisons of mean differences across partnership groups revealed that in at least one variable in the general health, mental health, health behaviors, and health care access/utilization domains, married lesbian and gay individuals reported the best health, followed by partnered, single, and then divorced, separated, and widowed lesbian and gay individuals (p < 0.001). Exceptions included variables in the physical health and health conditions domain, the health behaviors of smoking and heavy drinking, and ever having an HIV test. When stratifying by sex, for both gay men and lesbian women being married or partnered related to the best health in at least one variable in each health domain, and in the majority of all outcome variables.

This article provides the first evidence for partnership-health associations among gay and lesbian individuals based on a large-scale, multidomain test of population-level data. Future research could examine temporal links between same-sex marriage legislation and health outcomes among sexual minority individuals.