Need Fulfillment in Polyamorous Relationships

Abstract

Polyamory is characterized by simultaneous consensual romantic relationships with multiple partners. Polyamory allows individuals to fulfill their relationship needs with multiple romantic partners, yet researchers have not identified how having needs met in one romantic relationship may be related to relationship outcomes in a concurrent relationship. Polyamorous individuals (N=1,093) completed online measures of need fulfillment, relationship satisfaction, and commitment for two concurrent romantic relationships. Participants reported high levels of need fulfillment and satisfaction in both relationships. Need fulfillment with one partner negatively predicted approximately 1% of the variance in relationship satisfaction with the other partner; however, there was no association between need fulfillment with one partner and commitment to the other. Generally, the findings suggest that polyamorous relationships are relatively independent of one another. This study provides initial evidence that polyamory may be a viable and fulfilling alternative way of conducting intimate relationships.

Notes

Note. N = 1,035.

^a Category breakdown as follows: Heteroflexible (women: N = 19, 3.0%; men: n = 20, 4.9%); homoflexible (women: n = 1, 0.2%; men: n = 1, 0.2%); queer (women: n = 32, 5.1%; men: n = 6, 1.5%); uncategorized (women: n = 6, 1.0%; men: n = 3, 0.7%).

¹The full NFR measure is available from the authors.

²The gender breakdown of participants’ partners does not add up to 100% because some participants did not identify their partners’ genders and some did not identify their partners as male or female.

Note. N = 1,093. SO = significant other; OSO = other significant other. Correlations of .11 and above are significant at p < .001.

³Given the large sample size in this study, alpha for all significance tests was set at p = .001 to avoid interpreting trivial effects.

Note. N = 1,093. SO = significant other; OSO = other significant other.

*p < .001.

Note. N = 1,093. SO = significant other; OSO = other significant other. B = unstandardized beta weight; SE = standard error; β = standardized beta weight; ΔR ² = change in the multiple correlation squared.

*p < .001.

Note. N = 1,093. SO = significant other; OSO = other significant other. B = unstandardized beta weight; SE = standard error; β = standardized beta weight; ΔR ² = change in the multiple correlation squared.

*p < .001.

⁴Full results of these analyses are available from the authors.