Sexual minority couples' health during the transition to marriage
Project Number5R01MD018167-02
Contact PI/Project LeaderPERRY, NICHOLAS
Awardee OrganizationUNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY)
Description
Abstract Text
PROJECT SUMMARY
Sexual and gender minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or other non-heterosexual or non-cis gender)
adults are a population that experiences significant mental and physical health disparities. This project
addresses sexual and gender minority health through a focus on the romantic relationship context of health,
specifically at the point of marriage. Legalized marriage is only newly available to sexual minority couples in
the United States as of 2015, but decades of research have demonstrated that marriage has health benefits for
heterosexual couples. Sexual and gender minority stress is a primary driver of health disparities for this
population and marriage may buffer or exacerbate minority stress experiences for couples. This longitudinal
study will examine the intersection of sexual minority stress and marriage. It will measure health at multiple
levels of analysis among recently-married sexual minority couples, inclusive of gender identity, across the first
two years of marriage through the following aims. 1) Through repeated quantitative surveys with sexual
minority couples (N=250 couples) over the first two years of marriage, we will examine changes in minority
stress, relationship processes, and physical and mental health, as well as relationship mediators and
moderators of the well-established link between minority stress and health. 2) Through longitudinal qualitative
interviews (N=24-30 couples enrolled from Aim 1), we will explore the evolving meaning of marriage over the
newlywed period, as well as perceptions of how marriage shapes minority stress. 3) Using a sub-set of couples
(N=100), we will repeatedly measure physiological markers of stress (cortisol, alpha amylase) and associations
with relationship interactions and minority stress in couples’ daily lives. This study will measure both self-
reported health and biological mediators of health at an important transition in sexual minority couples’ lives.
The proposed R01 is responsive to PAR-21-281 on dyadic processes and biopsychosocial health, NIH’s
Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Sexual and Gender Minority Health research (NOT-MD-19-001), and NIMHD’s
Scientific Vision. Our pilot data suggest that: 1) sexual minority individuals face unique challenges to healthy
relationship formation, 2) they appear to view marriage as a life choice in a fundamentally unique way, and 3)
marriage is a potentially critical context for understanding sexual minority couples’ mental and physical health.
The discoveries generated by this project will make important contributions to an unexplored and critical life
and relationship transition: marriage, which is uniquely shaped by the social context of sexual orientation and
has clear implications for the health of sexual minority couples.
Public Health Relevance Statement
NARRATIVE
Sexual and gender minority adults face persistent, stark health disparities in both physical and mental health.
Romantic relationships are a critical context for understanding health and legalized marriage, an important
relationship milestone, is only newly available to sexual minority couples. This project has clear relevance for
understanding sexual and gender minority health by examining stress, health, and relationship processes
repeatedly and dyadically at multiple levels across the newlywed period among sexual minority couples.
NIH Spending Category
No NIH Spending Category available.
Project Terms
AccelerationAddressAdultAffectAffectiveAlcohol abuseAlcohol consumptionBiologicalBuffersCardiovascular PhysiologyClimactericCouplesDataDecision MakingDietEnrollmentExerciseExposure toFaceGenderGender IdentityHappinessHealthHealth BenefitHealth behaviorHeterosexualsHydrocortisoneIndividualInflammationInterpersonal ViolenceInterventionInterviewLegalLegal RightsLesbian Gay BisexualLifeLinkLongevityLongitudinal StudiesMarriageMeasuresMediatorMental DepressionMental HealthMorbidity - disease rateMotivationNational Institute on Minority Health and Health DisparitiesOutcomePathway interactionsPatient Self-ReportPerceptionPhysiologicalPhysiologyPopulationProcessPsychopathologyPublic PolicyResearchRiskRisk FactorsRisk ReductionSex OrientationSexual and GenderMinoritiesShapesSleepSocial ChangeSocial EnvironmentStrategic PlanningStressSurveysUnited StatesUnited States National Institutes of HealthVisionalpha-amylasebiopsychosocialcisgendercritical perioddiariesexperiencefamily supportfemale couplesgender minority healthgender minority health researchgender minority stresshealth disparityhealth disparity populationshigh riskimmune functionimprovedintimate partner violencelongitudinal designmale couplesmarginalizationminority healthminority stressmortalitynon-heterosexualphysical conditioningpopulation healthprotective factorsqueerresilience factorsexual minoritysexual minority femalesexual minority groupsexual minority healthsexual minority malesexual minority stresssocialsocial stigmasocial stressstressorsubstance use
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
CFDA Code
307
DUNS Number
007431760
UEI
WCUGNQQ8DZU1
Project Start Date
15-February-2023
Project End Date
30-November-2027
Budget Start Date
01-December-2023
Budget End Date
30-November-2024
Project Funding Information for 2024
Total Funding
$691,716
Direct Costs
$473,144
Indirect Costs
$218,572
Year
Funding IC
FY Total Cost by IC
2024
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
$491,716
2024
NIH Office of the Director
$200,000
Year
Funding IC
FY Total Cost by IC
Sub Projects
No Sub Projects information available for 5R01MD018167-02
Publications
Publications are associated with projects, but cannot be identified with any particular year of the project or fiscal year of funding. This is due to the continuous and cumulative nature of knowledge generation across the life of a project and the sometimes long and variable publishing timeline. Similarly, for multi-component projects, publications are associated with the parent core project and not with individual sub-projects.
No Publications available for 5R01MD018167-02
Patents
No Patents information available for 5R01MD018167-02
Outcomes
The Project Outcomes shown here are displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health. NIH has not endorsed the content below.
No Outcomes available for 5R01MD018167-02
Clinical Studies
No Clinical Studies information available for 5R01MD018167-02
News and More
Related News Releases
No news release information available for 5R01MD018167-02
History
No Historical information available for 5R01MD018167-02
Similar Projects
No Similar Projects information available for 5R01MD018167-02