Outness, Big Five personality traits, and same-sex relationship quality

This report examined the extent to which individuals from 60 same-sex romantic couples (30 gay male and 30 lesbian dyads) who disclosed their same-sex attractions to the world and family (i.e., were 'out') were more likely than their relatively closeted counterparts to share higher quality relationships. Using a multimethod approach that included the 'Big Five' personality dimensions as covariates, participants completed questionnaires about their relationships and discussed a disagreement in their relationship while being videotaped. Individuals who were out to the world - and individuals who had partners that reported being out - tended to (i) report greater relational satisfaction and (ii) display more positive relative to negative affect during dyadic interactions. Associations generally held controlling for personality traits among both gay male and lesbian couples.