The study looked at the effect that the Obergefell v. Hodges case had on the mental health of LGBTQ-couples.
A study from the University of Illinois’s Professor Brian Ogolsky has found that the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the U.S. has improved the mental health of LGBTQ-couples.
Ogolsky and his co-authors “found that psychological distress dropped, and life satisfaction increased after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling,” and that the “findings held regardless of marital status.
“In other words, the positive effects of Obergefell were felt by individuals in same-sex relationships whether married or unmarried.”
The authors of the research asked both same-sex and mixed-sex couples about anxiety, depression and life satisfaction both four months before the ruling, and a year after it was made.
The study found that the ruling had a positive effect on people showing the highest levels of distress, and that it had no negative impact on mixed-sex couples.
Speaking about the results, Ogolsky said: “If you have experienced higher levels of stigma related to sexual orientation before Obergefell, then you had a larger reduction in minority stress, and larger gain in psychological well-being, after the decision.”
A second paper published by Ogolsky found that there were higher levels of family support for LGBTQ-couples following the ruling.
Commenting on this, Ogolsky said that “family support increased because marriage equality allowed heterosexual kin to see their LGBTQ family members as fitting into cultural norms of marriage.”
Related: Why we need to talk more about mental health issues in the LGBTQ community
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