top of page

Dissertation Research

My dissertation explores how gender, stress, and relationship dynamics unfold to affect sexual minorities’ health over time. Although the United States has witnessed significant social, legal, and demographic changes concerning sexual minority families over the past several decades, critical gaps remain in our understanding of relationship dynamics and well-being of sexual minority families. How does sexual minorities’ health change over time? How do gender, stress, and relationship dynamics shape the process? To answer these questions, I draw on three longitudinal datasets (SIPP; Add Health; HARP) to investigate 1) same-sex union and health changes; 2) relationship biographies and health changes among sexual minorities; and 3) stress, marital dynamics, and cognitive health in midlife same-sex and different-sex couples.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Book Chapters

  • Wang, Yiwen, and Hui Liu. Forthcoming. “Sexual Orientation and Health Behavior.” In Handbook of Social Epidemiology, edited by Terrence D. Hill, Tarani Chandola, and Ginny Garcia-Alexander.

  • Chai, Hye Won, Yiwen Wang, and Debra Umberson. Forthcoming. “Health-Related Correlates of Longitudinal Changes in Sexual Experiences Among Midlife Same-sex and Different-sex Couples.” In International Handbook on the Demography of Sexuality, edited by Amanda K. Baumle and Zelma Oyarvide Tuthill. 

  • Wang, Yiwen, and Debra Umberson. 2024. “Long-Term Same-Sex Couples.” In The Sage Encyclopedia of LGBTQ+ STUDIES, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2024. 

  • Wang, Yiwen, and Daniel A. Powers. 2020. "Conditional Logit Model." In Sage Research Methods Foundations, edited by Paul Atkinson, Sara Delamont, Alexandru Cernat, Joseph W. Sakshaug, and Richard A. Williams. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2020. 

bottom of page