Publication Date
5-6-2021
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
PLoS ONE
Volume
16
Issue
5
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0249125
Abstract
A growing body of literature provides important insights into the meaning and impact of the right to marry a same-sex partner among sexual minority people. We conducted a scoping review to 1) identify and describe the psychosocial impacts of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults, and 2) explore sexual minority women (SMW) perceptions of equal marriage rights and whether psychosocial impacts differ by sex. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework we reviewed peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2000 through 2019. We searched six databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, JSTOR, and Sociological Abstracts) to identify English language, peer-reviewed journal articles reporting findings from empirical studies with an explicit focus on the experiences and perceived impact of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults. We found 59 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Studies identified positive psychosocial impacts of same-sex marriage (e.g., increased social acceptance, reduced stigma) across individual, interpersonal (dyad, family), community (sexual minority), and broader societal levels. Studies also found that, despite equal marriage rights, sexual minority stigma persists across these levels. Only a few studies examined differences by sex, and findings were mixed. Research to date has several limitations; for example, it disproportionately represents samples from the U.S. and White populations, and rarely examines differences by sexual or gender identity or other demographic characteristics. There is a need for additional research on the impact of equal marriage rights and same-sex marriage on the health and well-being of diverse sexual minorities across the globe.
Funding Number
R03MD011481
Funding Sponsor
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Keywords
Psychological attitudes, Social networks, Gender identity, Human families, Sexual identity, Database searching, Adults, Homosexuals
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Social Work
Recommended Citation
Laurie A. Drabble, Angie R. Wootton, Cindy B. Veldhuis, Ellen D.B. Riggle, Sharon S. Rostosky, Pamela J. Lannutti, Kimberly F. Balsam, and Tonda L. Hughes. "Perceived psychosocial impacts of legalized same-sex marriage: A scoping review of sexual minority adults’ experiences" PLoS ONE (2021). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249125
Comments
This is the Version of Record and can also be read online here.