Retrospective Recall of Sexual Orientation Identity Development among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adults

Autor/inn/en	Calzo, Jerel P.; Antonucci, Toni C.; Mays, Vickie M.; Cochran, Susan D.
Titel	Retrospective Recall of Sexual Orientation Identity Development among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adults
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 47 (2011) 6, S.1658-1673 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/a0025508
Schlagwörter	Quality of Life; Profiles; Homosexuality; Gender Differences; Sexual Orientation; Identification (Psychology); Adults; Age Differences; Adolescent Development; Developmental Stages; California + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Lebensqualität; Charakterisierung; Profilanalyse; Homosexualität; Geschlechterkonflikt; Sexuelle Orientierung; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Kalifornien
Abstract	Although recent attention has focused on the likelihood that contemporary sexual minority youth (i.e., gay, lesbian, bisexual [GLB]) are "coming out" at younger ages, few studies have examined whether early sexual orientation identity development is also present in older GLB cohorts. We analyzed retrospective data on the timing of sexual orientation milestones in a sample of sexual minorities drawn from the California Quality of Life Surveys. Latent profile analysis of 1,260 GLB adults, ages 18-84 years, identified 3 trajectories of development: early (n = 951; milestones spanning ages 12-20), middle (n = 239; milestones spanning ages 18-31), and late (n = 70; milestones spanning ages 32-43). Motivated by previous research on variability in adolescent developmental trajectories, we identified 2 subgroups in post hoc analyses of the early profile group: child onset (n = 284; milestones spanning ages 8-18) and teen onset (n = 667; milestones spanning ages 14-22). Nearly all patterns of development were identity centered, with average age of self-identification as GLB preceding average age of first same-sex sexual activity. Overall, younger participants and the majority of older participants were classified to the early profile, suggesting that early development is common regardless of age cohort. The additional gender differences observed in the onset and pace of sexual orientation identity development warrant future research. (Contains 7 tables, 2 figures and 4 footnotes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10