Reliance, Support, and Caregiving Among Married LGBTQ+ Americans: Spousal and Family Relationships
Abstract
1. Introduction
1.1. Marriage, Mutual Reliance, and Support
1.2. The Significance of Mutual Reliance for Vulnerable Married People
1.3. Marriage, LGBTQ+ People, and Family Support
1.4. Theoretical Framework
1.5. The Current Study
1.6. Research Questions
2. Method
2.1. Procedure
2.2. Sample
2.3. Measures
2.3.1. Outcomes
2.3.2. Predictors
2.4. Open-Ended Questions
2.5. Data Analysis
2.5.1. Quantitative Analysis
2.5.2. Qualitative Content Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Descriptive Data on Disabilities, Physical Challenges, and Caregiving (Question 1)
Are You a Caregiver for Your Partner? | |||||
Yes | No | N/A, No Partner Disability | Total | ||
Is your partner living with a disability? | Yes | 64 | 62 | 0 | 126 |
No | 6 | 148 | 204 | 358 | |
Total | 70 | 210 | 204 | 484 | |
Is your partner a caregiver to you? | |||||
Yes | No | N/A, no disability | Total | ||
Do you have a disability? | Yes | 57 | 75 | 0 | 132 |
No | 3 | 173 | 176 | 352 | |
Total | 60 | 248 | 176 | 484 |
Some Difficulty | A Lot of Difficulty | Cannot Do | Any Difficulty (Some, a Lot, Can’t Do) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MYSELF | ||||
Seeing, even if wearing glasses | 121 (25.0%) | 11 (2.3%) | 1 (0.2%) | 133 (27.5%) |
Hearing, even if wearing hearing aids | 65 (13.4%) | 5 (1.0%) | 2 (0.4%) | 72 (14.8%) |
Walking or climbing stairs | 95 (19.6%) | 23 (4.8%) | 2 (0.4%) | 122 (25.2%) |
Concentrating or remembering | 123 (25.2%) | 30 (6.2%) | 0 (0%) | 153 (31.6%) |
Self-care, such as washing or dressing | 41 (8.5%) | 6 (1.2%) | 1 (0.2%) | 48 (9.9%) |
Communication (understanding or being understood) | 41 (8.5%) | 4 (0.8%) | 0 (0%) | 45 (9.3%) |
PARTNER | ||||
Seeing, even if wearing glasses | 116 (24.0%) | 20 (4.1%) | 1 (0.2%) | 127 (26.2%) |
Hearing, even if wearing hearing aids | 67 (13.8%) | 10 (2.1%) | 0 (0%) | 77 (15.9%) |
Walking or climbing stairs | 78 (16.1%) | 26 (5.4%) | 3 (0.6%) | 107 (22.1%) |
Concentrating or remembering | 102 (21.1%) | 30 (6.2%) | 2 (0.4%) | 133 (27.5%) |
Self-care, such as washing or dressing | 33 (6.8%) | 5 (1.0%) | 0 (0%) | 38 (7.9%) |
Communication (understanding or being understood) | 47 (9.7%) | 5 (1.0%) | 0 (0%) | 52 (10.7%) |
3.2. Adaptation in the Face of Health Challenges and Disability (Question 2)
3.2.1. Long-Term Shifts in Labor Allocation Due to Illness/Disability
My spouse works outside the home, while I am fully disabled and stay at home. There are tasks that I do that are accommodated due to my limitations. My spouse takes on whatever else I’m unable to do. We discussed all of this very heavily when my disability began to worsen, and then when they had to start working out of the house again.
Our roles have changed since my partner’s disability. They used to do most/all cooking, and we shared housework. I’ve always had the more demanding job. I grocery shop and do all the bills/mental work of keeping our lives together since the disability. I do almost everything and my partner helps with housework and cleaning when able. It was not a choice we made—rather forced upon us by life. We would both prefer [it] more balanced.
We specialize in terms of who does which housework tasks, and we’ve traded off who does more overall housework based on our changing health conditions, as we both have chronic illness. Some of this has been through necessity (e.g., acute injuries/illnesses mean one partner has to suddenly step up in certain areas), but we try to discuss as much as possible, and we’ve done couples counseling at various points to help us make informed and loving decisions about what the home care workload should look like for each of us.
3.2.2. Temporary Shifts and Adaptation Due to Health Crises
3.2.3. Marriage, Mutual Reliance, Labor Allocation, and Disability
3.3. Reliance on Family and In-Laws: Quantitative Analysis (Question 3)
3.3.1. Predicting Financial Help for Those in Need
3.3.2. Predicting Help in a Health Care Crisis
3.4. Meaning of Family Support: Qualitative Analysis (Question 4)
3.4.1. Financial Support
3.4.2. Health Care Crisis
3.4.3. Instrumental Support
3.4.4. Emotional Support
3.4.5. Multiple Forms of Support
My family has offered a lot of financial support, whether through actual money gifts/loans or just advice and guidance, in response to health crises that affected our ability to work. My wife’s family has given monetary gifts on occasion, but they are not a true source of support in that regard; we would not ask them for financial help if we had any other option, given their attitudes toward money in general. We have relied on both families for emotional… support, especially my partner’s sibling and his spouse, who live close by.
3.4.6. Not Leaning on Family
4. Discussion
Limitations and Future Directions
5. Conclusions and Implications
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable | M, SD | N, % |
---|---|---|
Participant race a | ||
White | 334 (69.0%) | |
Black/African American | 87 (18.0%) | |
Hispanic | 73 (15.1%) | |
Latino/a/x | 51 (10.5%) | |
Asian | 40 (8.3%) | |
American Indian/Alaska Native | 25 (5.2%) | |
Native Hawaiian | 6 (1.2%) | |
Something else (e.g., Caribbean, Chicana, Middle Eastern) | 18 (3.7%) | |
Religion | ||
Nothing in particular | 170 (35.1%) | |
Atheist | 77 (15.9%) | |
Agnostic | 64 (13.2%) | |
Protestant | 58 (11.6%) | |
Roman Catholic | 36 (7.4%) | |
Jewish | 12 (2.5%) | |
Buddhist | 7 (1.4%) | |
Something else (e.g., Baptist, Lutheran, Spiritual) | 60 (12.9%) | |
Personal Income | ||
Under $25K/year | 78 (16.1%) | |
$25K–$50K | 125 (25.8%) | |
$51K–$75K | 123 (25.4%) | |
$76K–$100K | 67 (13.8%) | |
$101K–$125K | 37 (7.6%) | |
$126K–$150K | 18 (3.7%) | |
Over $150K | 36 (7.4%) | |
Region of the U.S. | ||
South | 146 (30.2%) | |
Midwest | 138 (28.5%) | |
West Coast | 111 (22.9%) | |
East Coast | 88 (18.2%) |
Yes | No | N/A, No Disability or Caregiving Need | |
---|---|---|---|
Are you living with a disability? | 132 (27.3%) | 352 (72.7%) | |
Is your partner living with a disability? | 126 (26.0%) | 358 (74.0%) | |
Is your partner a caregiver for you? | 60 (12.4%) | 248 (51.2%) | 176 (36.4%) |
Are you a caregiver for your partner? | 70 (14.5%) | 210 (43.4%) | 204 (42.1%) |
Yes | No | N/A | |
---|---|---|---|
At least one of our families of origin has given us money | 256 (52.9%) | 159 (32.9%) | 69 (14.3%) |
At least one of our families of origin has helped us during a health care crisis | 144 (29.8%) | 189 (39.0%) | 151 (31.2%) |
Helped in Response to Financial Need (n = 415) | Helped in Response to Financial Need with Interactions (n = 415) | Family Helped in Health Care Crisis (n = 333) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B | SE | Wald | Exp (B) | B | SE | Wald | Exp (B) | B | SE | Wald | Exp (B) | |
Family income | −0.18 * | 0.08 | 5.30 | 0.83 | −0.20 * | 0.08 | 6.07 | 0.82 | 0.011 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 1.01 |
Age in years | −0.04 *** | 0.009 | 22.76 | 0.96 | −0.04 | 0.009 | 22.30 | 0.96 | −0.02 + | 0.009 | 3.60 | 0.98 |
Any children < 18 | −0.23 | 0.32 | 0.52 | 0.80 | −0.18 | 0.32 | 0.32 | 0.83 | −0.32 | 0.33 | 0.99 | 0.72 |
Trans couple | 0.82 * | 0.34 | 5.89 | 2.28 | 0.20 | 0.45 | 0.19 | 1.22 | 0.55 + | 0.34 | 2.62 | 1.74 |
Cis woman couple | 0.11 | 0.25 | 0.18 | 1.11 | −0.31 | 0.31 | 1.01 | 0.74 | 0.49 + | 0.29 | 2.76 | 1.63 |
Either has disability | 0.12 | 0.30 | 0.15 | 1.13 | −0.70 | 0.43 | 2.80 | 0.48 | 0.64 * | 0.31 | 4.27 | 1.89 |
Either is caregiver | 0.25 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 1.28 | 0.25 | 0.37 | 0.45 | 1.28 | 0.70 * | 0.35 | 4.07 | 2.01 |
Increased family acceptance (mine) | 0.37 | 0.29 | 1.61 | 1.45 | 0.42 | 0.30 | 1.98 | 1.52 | 0.36 | 0.30 | 1.45 | 1.43 |
Increased family acceptance (partner) | 0.57 * | 0.25 | 5.27 | 1.77 | 0.57 * | 0.25 | 5.14 | 1.77 | 0.29 | 0.26 | 1.26 | 1.34 |
Disability × trans | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.53 * | 0.45 | 0.19 | 1.22 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Disability × woman | -- | -- | -- | -- | −0.31 | 0.31 | 1.01 | 0.74 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Constant | 2.43 *** | 0.57 | 18.35 | -- | 2.73 *** | 0.59 | 21.21 | --- | −0.46 | 0.61 | 0.56 | -- |
Model statistics | χ2(9) = 71.11 ***; McFadden R2 = 0.13 | χ2(11) = 79.10 ***; McFadden R2 = 0.14 | χ2(9) = 43.15 ***; McFadden R2 = 0.09 |
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Goldberg, A.E.; Smith, J.Z.; Sears, B. Reliance, Support, and Caregiving Among Married LGBTQ+ Americans: Spousal and Family Relationships. Soc. Sci. 2025, 14, 605. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14100605
Goldberg AE, Smith JZ, Sears B. Reliance, Support, and Caregiving Among Married LGBTQ+ Americans: Spousal and Family Relationships. Social Sciences. 2025; 14(10):605. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14100605
Chicago/Turabian StyleGoldberg, Abbie E., JuliAnna Z. Smith, and Brad Sears. 2025. "Reliance, Support, and Caregiving Among Married LGBTQ+ Americans: Spousal and Family Relationships" Social Sciences 14, no. 10: 605. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14100605
APA StyleGoldberg, A. E., Smith, J. Z., & Sears, B. (2025). Reliance, Support, and Caregiving Among Married LGBTQ+ Americans: Spousal and Family Relationships. Social Sciences, 14(10), 605. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14100605