Marriage and Health

Hiu Liu is a professor of sociology at Michigan State University in East Lansing.  Corinne Reczek is an associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University in Columbus.  Lindsey Wilkinson is an associate professor of sociology at Portland State University, Oregon.

“We are only at the beginning of understanding how marriage and other types of romantic unions influence mental and physical health for same-sex couples. The editors of Marriage and Health have deftly brought together the best evidence available to tell us what is currently known and where we need to go in the future. This volume serves as a guide to the most important questions, challenges, and strategic directions for research on same-sex relationships-all essential to protecting and maximizing the health and well-being of sexual minority populations.” - Debra Umberson (author of "Death of a Parent: Transition to a New Adult Identity") “Marriage and Health: The Well-Being of Same-Sex Couples is a welcome and overdue addition to the burgeoning literature on sexuality and health. By addressing a critical question-Does marriage matter for the well-being of those in sexual minority unions in similar ways as it does for those in heterosexual unions?-from multiple vantage points, this unique collection of cutting-edge studies is more than the sum of its parts and provides essential theoretical and empirical foundations for future research. It is my sincere hope that this important book will be widely read and stimulate a next generation of data collection and investigation.” - Andrew S. London (co-editor of "Life Course Perspectives on Military Service") "The editors should be commended for the breadth with which they treat the topic and the progress this collection represents in helping to empirically normalize same-sex marriage....Recommended." (Choice)

• Series Foreword by PÉter BertaIntroduction: The Health and Well-Being of Sexuality Minority CouplesHui Liu, Corinne Reczek and Lindsey WilkinsonPart I: Mental HealthChapter 1: Serious Mental Illness in Same-Sex and Different-Sex UnionsDustin Brown, Corinne Reczek and Hui LiuChapter 2: Well-Being during Time with a Partner among Men and Women in Same-Sex UnionsSarah Marie Flood and Katherine Rose GenadekChapter 3: Consequences of Unequal Legal Recognition: Same-Sex Couples’ Experiences of Stress Prior to Obergefell v. HodgesEli Alston-Stepnitz, David M. Frost and Allen J. LeBlancChapter 4: Postpartum Depression and Anxiety in Male-Partnered and Female-Partnered Sexual Minority Women: A Longitudinal StudyAbbie E. Goldberg, JuliAnna Z. Smith and Lori E. RossPart II: Health BehaviorsChapter 5: Health and Health Behaviors among Same-Sex and Different-Sex Coupled Adults With and Without ChildrenJustin T. Denney, Jarron M. Saint Onge, Bridget K. Gorman and Patrick M. KruegerChapter 6: Couples’ Conjoint Work Hours and Health Behaviors: Do Gender and Sexual Identity Matter?Wen FanChapter 7: Union Status and Overweight/Obesity among Sexual Minority Men and WomenZelma Oyarvide Tuthill, Bridget K. Gorman and Navya R. KumarChapter 8: Same-Sex Contact and Alternative Medicine Usage among Older AdultsLacey J. Ritter and Koji UenoPart III: Physical Health, Mortality and Health CareChapter 9: Activity Limitations Disparities between Same-Sex and Different-Sex CouplesRussell L. SpikerChapter 10: Same-Sex Unions and Adult Mortality Risk: A Nationally-Representative AnalysisAndrew Fenelon, Christina Dragon, Corinne Reczek and Hui LiuChapter 11: Access to Health Care for Partnered and Non-Partnered Sexual MinoritiesMatt Ruther and Ning HsiehChapter 12: Law and Same-Sex Couples’ Experiences of ChildbirthEmily Kazyak and Emma FinkenChapter 13: Married in Texas: Findings from a LGBTQ Community Needs AssessmentKara Sutton and Richard K. ScotchPart IV: Relationship Quality, Experience and IdentityChapter 14:  Social Context and The Stability of Same-Sex and Different-Sex RelationshipsKara Joyner, Wendy Manning and Barbara PrinceChapter 15: Same-Sex Marriage and Mental Health: The Role of Marital QualitySara Mernitz, Amanda Pollitt and Debra UmbersonChapter 16: First Sexual Experience with a Same-Sex Partner in the United States: Evidence from a National SampleKarin L. Brewster, Kathryn Harker Tillman and Giuseppina Valle HolwayChapter 17: Two Sides of a Coin”: Nuances of Maternal Identity for Lesbian MothersRachel L. HenryConclusion: Future Directions for Research on Health of Sexual Minority CouplesCorinne Reczek, Hui Liu and Lindsey Wilkinson