A researcher in New Jersey is currently seeking women who are in relationships with other women to participate in a research study about the health of same-sex couples.
Dr. Charlotte Markey, an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University-Camden, is spearheading the study, which examines how the relationships influence healthy behaviors, with a focus on eating habits and body image.
“In looking at relationship literature, there’s always gender differences but it’s unclear if these differences are due to the individual or to the partner,” Markey explained, noting that married men often report healthier eating habits and longer life expectancies than non-married men. “Academically speaking, the next logical step was to see what happens if we have someone whose partner is of the same sex.”
The study, which is being funded by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and by Rutgers, will include 70 couples, about half of whom have already signed up to participate.
The couples must be in an exclusive relationship for at least six months, although cohabitation is not necessary. Participants will spend about an hour-and-a-half at the Rutgers Camden campus, where they will separately fill out surveys about their personalities, eating behaviors and relationship, have their weight and height recorded and together work on a short health task. In exchange for their participation, each couple will receive $100.
Markey said there is currently a dearth of information on same-sex couples, but she is eager for studies like hers to heighten awareness and understanding of the community.
“As far as I know, this is really new. There is very little research in general about LGBT relationships. There are so many misperceptions among the general public about this community. I’m hoping that in a small way this research will contribute somehow to a greater social understanding of diverse relationships. The time is right: This is the civil-rights movement of the current generation. This is what we need to do because people have different relationships and they’re equally healthy, and to say that, we need to back up what we’re saying with research.”
Markey has also applied for additional funding to expand the study to include same-sex male couples.
Earlier this month, researchers in Massachusetts released a study that found gay men tended to be slimmer and more concerned with their bodies than straight men, while lesbians reported higher rates of obesity than heterosexual women.
Markey noted that her study is focused not necessarily on discovering such trends but rather looking at their motivating factors.
“What’s interesting to me as a psychologist is not that we see these trends, but why we see them. And that’s the crux of this study now. We want to see if it has something to do with the partners, or with the community they’re involved with. If we’re going to treat people so that they’re not so concerned about their bodies or also are not overweight, we need to know where this is coming from, and that’s what we’re hoping to do.”
For more information or to sign up for the study, visit www.HealthyDevelopmentLab.com. Those interested will be directed to a short survey to determine eligibility and, if eligible, will be contacted by a researcher.
The researchers are looking for couples who have availability to visit the campus in late July or August.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].