Predictors of Interest in Sexual and Sentimental Relationships among Gay Males

Abstract

Little is known of the factors that influence an individual’s interest in stable relationships. The drive to have support in child care is one, as evidenced by evolutionary theory, but that does not explain the formation of stable homosexual relationships, in which there is no risk of pregnancy from casual sex. Surveys were administered to 177 gay males to understand this phenomenon. Anxious attachment style and base sex drive were found to be the strongest predictors of, respectively, interest in uncommitted sex and interest in (stable) sentimental relationships. Avoidant attachment, sexual attitudes, and internalized homophobia also have an influence on the type of relationship sought. Interestingly, interest in sentimental relationships and interest in uncommitted sex appear not to be correlated.