| Title: | A comparison of partner resemblance trends across putative same-sex and opposite-sex couples in the UK biobank |
| Journal: | Scientific Reports |
| Published: | 27 Aug 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40866370/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12966-9 |
Publication 19654
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Abstract
The study of partner resemblance has widespread implications in the social and natural sciences. To date, the vast majority of such research has focused on opposite-sex couples. This study compared patterns of partner correlations ("assortment") across 66 traits in the UK Biobank (UKB) in 89,628 female-male (FM), 236 female-female (FF), and 216 male-male (MM) putative couples. The average FF, MM, and FM correlations were positive (indicating similarity rather than dissimilarity), though both same-sex partner types yielded significant correlations for only a minority of traits at the Bonferroni-corrected level. FM pairs showed more positive assortment (punadjusted<2e-16) than did MM or FF pairs for year of birth and number of children. Much existing same-sex partner correlation research has reported less similarity for age in MM pairs compared to opposite-sex pairs, while some (though not all) of the literature has reported lower similarity for age in FF pairs than in FM pairs. Expanding knowledge about same-sex assortment can contribute to family-based genetic designs and relationship psychology research in addition to diversifying couple-centered treatment modalities. Finally, this research can help to identify how couple dynamics and shared systemic factors potentially relate to ageing-related outcomes, behavior change, and healthcare needs in the LGBT community.</p>
11 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Family Characteristics
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Sexual Partners
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
3 Authors
- Tanya B. Horwitz
- Kristen M. Kelly
- Matthew C. Keller
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 16651 | Genetic architecture of disease and related anthropometric phenotypes |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health