The Impact of Romantic Relationships on the Health of Vulnerable Populations during the Transition to Adulthood

项目总结/摘要 浪漫的关系是在过渡到健康的最突出的社会关系之一， 成年和进入成年。在生命的典型阶段发展的不同性别的关系， 关系结构，如婚姻，与异性恋者更好的身心健康有关 个体然而，对浪漫关系的研究没有考虑到性关系的关系经历， 少数民族青少年和年轻人，包括女同性恋、男同性恋或双性恋者。性少数群体面临 在向成年过渡期间发展浪漫关系的独特障碍，可能会抵消任何 从这些关系中获得的健康益处。因为性少数群体的物质使用量增加 和心理健康问题相比，他们的异性恋同行，了解浪漫的作用， 在促进性少数群体健康方面，两性关系至关重要。拟议项目的总体目标是 确定性少数浪漫关系和健康之间的关联如何因关系而异 时间，结构和质量使用的数据从一个大的，全国代表性的样本。为了实现这一目标，我将 首先确定性少数群体如何形成第一次约会关系和浪漫联盟，定义为同居或 婚姻，并确定这种时机如何影响成年后的物质使用和心理健康。本研究 将提供洞察力，是否，以及有多少，性少数偏离异性恋个人的良好- 建立关系轨迹，以及任何偏差如何影响健康。其次，我将测试如何类型和 性少数关系结构在向成年过渡和进入成年的过程中的变化有助于 物质使用和心理健康。实现这一目标将确定哪些关系结构更重要 易受伤害或抵抗物质使用或心理健康问题。第三，我将研究如何关系 质量调节关系结构和性少数群体健康之间的关联，这将 深入了解对健康最具保护作用的人际关系的特点。拟议项目将 加强我们对性少数关系的时间和结构如何保护或 从青春期到成年对健康有害，并确定特定关系过程如何改变 这些途径。从这项研究中获得的知识将为未来的学术发展奠定基础 旨在探索其他机制，如少数民族压力的作用，通过这种机制， 关系有助于或减少健康。

Project Summary/Abstract Romantic relationships are one of the most salient social relationships for health during the transition to adulthood and into adulthood. Different-sex relationships that develop in the typical stage of life, and certain relationship structures, such as marriage, are linked to better physical and mental health for heterosexual individuals. Yet, research on romantic relationships fails to consider the relationship experiences of sexual minority adolescents and young adults, including lesbian, gay, or bisexual individuals. Sexual minorities face unique barriers to developing romantic relationships during the transition to adulthood that may offset any health benefits gained from these relationships. Because sexual minorities experience elevated substance use and mental health problems compared to their heterosexual counterparts, understanding the role of romantic relationships in contributing to sexual minority health is critical. The overarching goal of the proposed project is to establish how associations between sexual minority romantic relationships and health vary by relationship timing, structure, and quality using data from a large, nationally representative sample. To meet this goal, I will first identify how sexual minorities form a first dating relationship and romantic union, defined as cohabitation or marriage, and establish how this timing affects substance use and mental health in adulthood. This research will provide insight into whether, and how much, sexual minorities deviate from heterosexual individuals' well- established relationship trajectories, and, how any deviation affects health. Second, I will test how types of and changes in sexual minority relationship structures throughout the transition to, and into, adulthood contribute to substance use and mental health. Meeting this objective will establish which relationships structures are more vulnerable or resistant to substance use or mental health problems. Third, I will examine how relationship quality moderates the association between relationship structure and health for sexual minorities, which will provide insight into the characteristics of relationships most protective for health. The proposed project will enhance our knowledge about how sexual minority relationship timing and structure are either protective or detrimental for health from adolescence to adulthood, and identify how relationship-specific processes alter these pathways. The knowledge gained from this research will ground the development of future scholarship designed to explore additional mechanisms, such as the role of minority stress, through which sexual minority relationships contribute to, or reduce, health.