Relationship Quality and Sexuality: A Latent Profile Analysis of Long-term Heterosexual and LGB Long-term Partnerships

Figures & data

Table 1. Items measuring relationship factors as indicators of class within LPA.

			Class 1:	Class 2:	Class 3:	Class 4:
		Full Sample	Traditionalists	De-traditionalists	Working at it	Endurers
Item	Item Description	n = 7,826 (100%)	n = 3692, 47.2%	n = 659, 8.4%	n = 2695, 34.4%	n = 780, 10.0%
1	Sex is an important part of our relationship, M (SD)	3.69 (1.06)	3.93 (0.96)	4.01 (0.93)	3.56 (1.01)	2.87 (1.21)
2	Faith shapes our relationship, M (SD)	2.20 (1.30)	2.18 (1.31)	3.00 (1.47)	2.12 (1.23)	1.92 (1.13)
3	My partner wants to have sex more often than I do, M (SD)	2.83 (1.18)	2.76 (1.12)	2.78 (1.12)	2.93 (1.20)	2.89 (1.40)
4	I think I love my partner more than they love me, M (SD)	2.27 (0.91)	2.07 (0.87)	2.18 (0.94)	2.42 (0.83)	2.70 (1.04)
5	We share our domestic chores fairly, M (SD)	3.48 (1.13)	3.74 (1.05)	3.79 (1.03)	3.31 (1.09)	2.73 (1.22)
6	We share our financial resources fairly, M (SD)	4.21 (1.07)	4.43 (0.91)	4.58 (0.83)	4.07 (1.09)	3.48 (1.36)
7	We argue over money, M (SD)	1.91 (0.98)	1.67 (0.83)	1.77 (0.85)	2.05 (0.97)	2.57 (1.23)
8	Our relationship is mainly about practicalities such as domestic chores and money, M (SD)	2.13 (1.00)	1.76 (0.79)	2.01 (0.94)	2.29 (0.90)	3.27 (1.17)
9	How happy are you with your partner overall?, M (SD)	4.37 (0.84)	5.00 (0.00)	5.00 (0.00)	4.00 (0.00)	2.45 (0.70)
10	Length of time spent together, n (%)	6018 (76.9%)	2687 (44.6%)	563 (9.4%)	2144 (35.6%)	624 (10.4%)
11	Having children, n (%)	779 (10.0%)	10 (1.3%)	410 (52.6%)	264 (33.9%)	95 (12.2%)
12	Being a family, n (%)	1912 (24.4%)	411 (21.5%)	641 (33.5%)	692 (36.2%)	168 (8.8%)
13	Shared commitment, n (%)	5270 (67.3%)	2395 (45.4%)	637 (12.1%)	1822 (34.6%)	416 (7.9%)
14	Being married, n (%)	1448 (18.5%)	327 (22.6%)	529 (36.5%)	458 (31.6%)	134 (9.3%)

Table 2. Sexual orientation and demographics.

		Heterosexual	Gay/Lesbian	Bi-sexual
Variable	Full Sample	(n = 6609, 88.3%)	(n = 472, 6.3%)	(n = 407, 5.4%)	Test	Effect size
Gender					x^2 2)-40.82***	Cramer’s V – .074
Male	1459 (19.2%)	1247 (86.8%)	137 (9.5%)	52 (3.6%)
Female	6132 (80.8%)	5341 (88.7%)	332 (5.5%)	351 (5.8%)
Age					χ^2(10)-140.56***	Cramer’s V – .097
16–24	597 (7.8%)	480 (83.6%)	36 (6.3%)	58 (10.1%)
25–34	2091 (27.4%)	1716 (84.2%)	148 (7.3%)	175 (8.6%)
35–44	1942 (25.4%)	1696 (88.8%)	114 (6.0%)	100 (5.2%)
45–54	1519 (19.9%)	1333 (89.3%)	111 (7.4%)	49 (3.3%)
55–64	1084 (14.2%)	1004 (93.6%)	50 (4.7%)	19 (1.8%)
65+	400 (5.2%)	376 (95.7%)	11 (2.8%)	6 (1.5%)
Country					χ^χ(4)χ77.39***	Cramer’s V χ .072
United Kingdom	5683 (72.6%)	4820 (89.0%)	302 (5.6%)	293 (5.4%)
United States	1652 (21.2%)	1436 (89.2%)	103 (6.4%)	71 (4.4%)
Australia	491 (6.3%)	353 (76.2%)	472 (6.3%)	43 (9.3%)
Education level					χ^χ(8)-45.61***	Cramer’s V – .060
No high school diploma	99 (1.5%)	89 (90.8%)	6 (6.1%)	3 (3.1%)
High school diploma/equivalency	305 (4.7%)	272 (90.1%)	13 (4.3%)	17 (5.6%)
Vocational training/some college	1204 (18.4%)	1072 (90.4%)	55 (4.6%)	59 (5.0%)
Professional/bachelor’s degree	2763 (42.3%)	2431 (89.5%)	155 (5.7%)	131 (4.8%)
Master’s/PhD	2164 (33.1%)	1772 (84.3%)	416 (6.5%)	354 (5.5%)
Employment					χ^2(14)-111.87***	Cramer’s V – .093
Part-time work	1749 (26.6%)	1526 (89.1%)	79 (4.6%)	107 (6.3%)
Full-time work	3025 (45.9%)	2573 (86.5%)	255 (8.6%)	148 (5.0%)
Retired	491 (89.1%)	457 (94.8%)	18 (3.7%)	7 (1.5%)
Homemaker/carer	506 (98.8%)	473 (93.8%)	7 (1.4%)	24 (4.8%)
Volunteer	81 (100%)	68 (86.1%)	5 (6.3%)	6 (7.6%)
Full/part-time student	428 (81.7%)	333 (81.6%)	34 (8.3%)	41 (10.0%)
Not employed or working	177 (75.2%)	157 (89.2%)	14 (8.0%)	5 (2.8%)
Disabled	129 (91.1%)	104 (82.5%)	7 (5.6%)	15 (11.9%)
Religious affiliation					x^2(10)-194.21***	Cramer’s V – .127
Christian (Protestant, Catholic)	2884 (46.8%)	2682 (94.0%)	117 (4.1%)	53 (1.9%)
Jewish	104 (1.7%)	88 (86.3%)	12 (11.8%)	2 (2.0%)
Muslim	49 (0.8%)	45 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.3%)
Buddhist	79 (1.3%)	56 (70.9%)	11 (13.9%)	12 (15.2%)
None	3016 (48.9%)	2481 (84.2%)	236 (8.0%)	230 (7.8%)
Other (Sikh, Hindu)	31 (0.5%)	28 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.7%)
Parent, child in household (yes)	2878 (44.6%)	2663 (93.7%)	60 (2.1%)	119 (4.2%)	x^2(3)-174.34***	Cramer’s V – .166
Number of children	1.84 (0.93)	1.86 (0.93)	1.61 (0.86)	1.80 (0.93)	F(2, 2849) = 2.20	η^2 = .002
Relationship status					x^−(12)-2127.55***	Cramer’s V – .379
Married	4831 (63.2%)	4513 (95.7%)	53 (1.1%)	152 (3.2%)
Couple- not living together	778 (10.2%)	595 (80.5%)	86 (11.6%)	58 (7.8%)
Living together	1678 (22%)	1292 (79.9%)	158 (9.8%)	167 (10.3%)
Civil partnership	234 (3.1%)	48 (21.8%)	161 (73.2%)	11 (5.0%)
Dating	122 (1.6%)	100 (88.4%)	4 (3.6%)	8 (7.1%)
Number of years in relationship					x^−(10)-249.42***	Cramer’s V – .129
Under 1 year	316 (4.1%)	241 (83.4%)	29 (10.0%)	19 (6.6%)
1–5	1725 (22.3%)	1342 (81.6%)	159 (9.7%)	144 (8.8%)
6–10	1459 (18.9%)	1185 (83.8%)	101 (7.1%)	128 (9.1%)
11–15	1089 (14.1%)	943 (88.5%)	77 (7.2%)	45 (4.2%)
16–20	750 (9.7%)	653 (89.8%)	43 (5.9%)	31 (4.3%)
20+	2381 (30.8%)	2226 (95.7%)	61 (2.6%)	39 (1.7%)
Relationship Quality, total score, M (SD)	37.75 (5.94)	37.68 (6.02)	39.15 (4.91)	37.83 (5.44)	F(2, 6961) = 12.50.28***	η^2 = .004
Relationship Maintenance, total score, M (SD)	30.97 (5.03)	30.86 (5.11)	32.38 (4.10)	31.49 (4.38)	F(2, 6885) = 18.32***	η^2 = .005

Table 3. Demographics and classes.

		Class 1:	Class 2:	Class 3:	Class 4:
		Traditionalists	De-traditionalists	Working at it	Endurers
Variable	Full Sample	(n = 3692, 47.2%)	(n = 659, 8.4%)	(n = 2695, 34.4%)	(n = 780, 10.0%)	Test	Effect size
Gender						x^2(3)-20.62***	Cramer’s V – .052
Male	1459 (19.2%)	686 (47.0%)	165 (11.3%)	473 (32.4%)	135 (9.3%)
Female	6132 (80.8%)	2799 (45.6%)	493 (8.0%)	2204 (35.9%)	636 (10.4%)
Age						x^2(15)-164.35***	Cramer’s V – .085
16–24	597 (7.8%)	330 (55.3%)	41 (6.9%)	180 (30.2%)	46 (7.7%)
25–34	2091 (27.4%)	1075 (51.4%)	114 (6.9%)	712 (34.1%)	160 (7.7%)
35–44	1942 (25.4%)	838 (42.6%)	146 (7.5%)	745 (38.4%)	223 (11.5%)
45–54	1519 (19.9%)	650 (42.8%)	134 (8.8%)	533 (35.1%)	202 (13.3%)
55–64	1084 (14.2%)	451 (41.6%)	115 (10.6%)	402 (37.1%)	116 (10.7%)
65+	400 (5.2%)	169 (42.3%)	79 (19.8%)	120 (30.0%)	32 (8.0%)
Sexual orientation						x^2(6)-37.56***	Cramer’s V – .050
Heterosexual	6609 (88.3%)	2961 (44.8%)	606 (9.2%)	2348 (35.5%)	694 (10.5%)
Gay/lesbian	472 (6.3%)	268 (56.8%)	24 (5.1%)	151 (32.0%)	29 (6.1%)
Bisexual	407 (5.4%)	204 (50.1%)	25 (6.1%)	141 (34.6%)	37 (9.1%)
Country						x^2(6)-91.23***	Cramer’s V – 0.076
United Kingdom	5683 (72.6%)	2752 (48.4%)	407 (7.2%)	1960 (34.5%)	564 (9.9%)
United States	1652 (21.2%)	703 (42.6%)	230 (13.9%)	562 (34.0%)	157 (9.5%)
Australia	491 (6.3%)	237 (48.3%)	22 (4.5%)	173 (35.2%)	59 (12.0%)
Education level						x^2(12)-27.07**	Cramer’s V – 0.037
No high school diploma	99 (1.5%)	42 (42.4%)	17 (17.2%)	29 (29.3%)	11 (11.1%)
High school diploma/equivalency	305 (4.7%)	144 (47.2%)	27 (8.9%)	97 (31.8%)	37 (12.1%)
Vocational training/some college	1204 (18.4%)	523 (43.4%)	117 (9.7%)	422 (35.0%)	142 (11.8%)
Professional/bachelor’s degree	2763 (42.3%)	1274 (46.1%)	211 (7.6%)	1014 (36.7%)	264 (9.6%)
Master’s/PhD	2164 (33.1%)	978 (45.2%)	164 (7.6%)	809 (37.4%)	213 (9.8%)
Employment						x^2(21)-94.43***	Cramer’s V – 0.069
Part-time work	1749 (26.6%)	735 (42.0%)	143 (8.2%)	667 (38.1%)	204 (11.7%)
Full-time work	3025 (45.9%)	1430 (47.3%)	207 (6.8%)	1093 (36.1%)	295 (9.8%)
Retired	491 (89.1%)	228 (46.3%)	81 (16.5%)	145 (29.5%)	37 (7.5%)
Homemaker/carer	506 (98.8%)	215 (42.5%)	51 (10.1%)	182 (36.0%)	58 (11.5%)
Volunteer	81 (100%)	30 (37.0%)	7 (8.6%)	35 (43.2%)	9 (11.1%)
Full/part-time student	428 (81.7%)	214 (50.0%)	33 (7.7%)	143 (33.4%)	38 (8.9%)
Not employed or working	177 (75.2%)	75 (42.4%)	11 (6.2%)	72 (40.7%)	19 (10.7%)
Disabled	129 (91.1%)	63 (48.8%)	20 (15.5%)	32 (24.8%)	14 (10.9%)
Religious affiliation						x^2(15)-137.58***	Cramer’s V – 0.086
Christian (Protestant, Catholic)	2884 (46.8%)	1240 (43.0%)	352 (12.2%)	1005 (34.8%)	287 (10.0%)
Jewish	104 (1.7%)	44 (42.3%)	4 (3.8%)	44 (42.3%)	12 (11.5%)
Muslim	49 (0.8%)	12 (24.5%)	6 (12.2%)	15 (30.6%)	16 (32.7%)
Buddhist	79 (1.3%)	31 (39.2%)	3 (3.8%)	36 (45.6%)	9 (11.4%)
None	3016 (48.9%)	1454 (48.2%)	157 (5.2%)	1111 (36.8%)	294 (9.7%)
Other (Sikh, Hindu)	31 (0.5%)	13 (41.9%)	1 (3.2%)	13 (41.9%)	4 (12.9%)
Parent, child in household (yes)	2878 (44.6%)	1090 (37.9%)	261 (9.1%)	1133 (39.4%)	394 (13.7%)	x^2(3)-130.29***	Cramer’s V – .142
Number of children	1.84 (0.93)	1.78 (0.91)	1.99 (1.03)	1.85 (0.93)	1.90 (0.89)	F(3, 2888) = 4.42**	η^2 = .005
Relationship status						x^2(12)-103.99***	Cramer’s V – 0.067
Married	4831 (63.2%)	2153 (44.6%)	522 (10.8%)	1672 (34.6%)	484 (10.0%)
Couple- not living together	778 (10.2%)	402 (51.7%)	30 (3.9%)	268 (34.4%)	78 (10.0%)
Living together	1678 (22%)	817 (48.7%)	82 (4.9%)	611 (36.4%)	168 (10.0%)
Civil partnership	234 (3.1%)	129 (55.1%)	9 (3.8%)	72 (30.8%)	24 (10.3%)
Dating	122 (1.6%)	55 (45.1%)	7 (5.7%)	40 (32.8%)	29 (16.4%)
Number of years in relationship						x^2(15)-116.44***	Cramer’s V – 0.071
Under 1 year	316 (4.1%)	189 (59.8%)	18 (5.7%)	90 (28.5%)	19 (6.0%)
1–5	1725 (22.3%)	903 (52.3%)	120 (7.0%)	559 (32.4%)	143 (8.3%)
6–10	1459 (18.9%)	716 (49.1%)	99 (6.8%)	495 (33.9%)	149 (10.2%)
11–15	1089 (14.1%)	478 (43.9%)	76 (7.0%)	411 (37.7%)	124 (11.4%)
16–20	750 (9.7%)	311 (41.5%)	63 (8.4%)	290 (38.7%)	86 (11.5%)
20+	2381 (30.8%)	1001 (42.0%)	280 (11.8%)	841 (35.3%)	259 (10.9%)
Relationship Quality, total score, M (SD)	37.75 (5.94)	41.17 (3.08)	41.51 (3.23)	35.87 (3.86)	26.40 (5.95)	F(3, 7097) = 3512.28***	η^2 = .598
Relationship Maintenance, total score, M (SD)	30.97 (5.03)	33.33 (3.36)	34.09 (3.46)	29.69 (3.75)	22.73 (5.44)	F(3, 7014) = 1798.26***	η^2 = .435

Table 4. LPA modeling results and cross-validation per country.

								Profile size per model, n (%)
Profiles	Loglikelihood	AIC	BIC	Sample-size adjusted BIC	Entropy	LMR p-value	BLRT p-value	1	2	3	4	5
1	−115030.890	230107.780	230267.980	230194.891	-	-	-	7826 (100%)	-	-	-	-
2	−112205.437	224486.875	224751.553	224630.796	.890	<.001	<.001	824 (10.5%)	7002 (89.4%)	-	-	-
3	−110422.220	220950.439	221319.595	221151.172	.856	<.001	<.001	806 (10.3%)	5992 (76.6%)	1028 (13.1%)	-	-
4	−108868.876	217873.752	218347.386	218131.296	.905	<.001	<.001	3692 (47.2%)	659 (8.4%)	2695 (34.4%)	780 (10.0%)	-
5	−108266.149	216698.298	217276.410	217012.653	.887	.991	>.999	2239 (28.6%)	781 (10.0%)	3723 (47.5%)	640 (8.2%)	443 (5.7%)
USA
1	−24738.372	49522.745	49647.169	49574.101	-	-	-	1652 (100%)	-	-	-	-
2	−24094.089	48264.178	48469.748	48349.028	.866	<.001	<.001	1451 (86.3%)	201 (12.2%)	-	-	-
3	−23634.329	47374.658	47661.374	47493.002	.842	<.001	<.001	1159 (70.2%)	181 (11.0%)	312 (18.9%)	-	-
4	−23234.391	46604.782	46972.644	46756.619	.899	<.001	<.001	159 (9.6%)	715 (43.3%)	564 (34.1%)	214 (13.0%)	-
5	−21963.616	44093.231	44542.240	44278.562	.810	<.001	<.001	63 (3.8%)	94 (5.7%)	715 (43.3%)	566 (34.3%)	214 (13.0%)
UK
1	−82960.424	165966.849	166119.689	166046.602	-	-	-	5683 (100%)	-	-	-	-
2	−80902.835	161881.670	162134.189	162013.436	.901	<.001	<.001	5114 (90.0%)	569 (10.0%)	-	-	-
3	−79728.768	159563.535	159915.733	159747.314	.867	<.001	<.001	4464 (78.5%)	666 (11.7%)	553 (9.7%)	-	-
4	−78636.165	157408.331	157860.207	157644.123	.909	.034	<.001	1956 (34.4%)	2764 (48.6%)	564 (9.9%)	399 (7.0%)	-
5	−78567.690	157301.380	157852.934	157589.185	.779	.750	<.001	511 (9.0%)	554 (9.7%)	1300 (22.9%)	2975 (52.3%)	344 (6.1%)
AUS
1	−6766.089	13578.179	13674.697	13601.695	-	-	-	491 (100%)	-	-	-	-
2	−6589.101	13254.202	13413.667	13293.056	.841	.002	<.001	73 (14.9%)	418 (85.1%)	-	-	-
3	−6488.309	13082.617	13305.029	13136.808	.837	.007	<.001	57 (11.6%)	332 (67.6%)	102 (20.8%)	-	-
4	−6431.691	12999.381	13284.739	13068.908	.832	.440	<.001	337 (68.6%)	59 (12.0%)	40 (8.1%)	55 (11.2%)	-
5	−6382.295	12930.591	13278.896	13015.455	.834	.746	<.001	33 (6.7%)	57 (11.6%)	295 (60.1%)	33 (7.7%)	68 (13.8%)

Figure 1. Differences on profiles in LPA per indicator.