Citation
Savin-Williams, Ritch; Joyner, Kara; & Rieger, Gerulf (2012). Prevalence and stability of self-reported sexual orientation identity during young adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior. vol. 41 (1) pp. 103-110Abstract
Based on date from Wave 3 and Wave 4 from National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (N = 12,287), known as Add Health, the majority of young adults identified their sexual orientation as 100% heterosexual. The second largest identity group, “mostly heterosexual,” was larger than all other nonheterosexual identities combined. Comparing distributions across waves, which were approximately 6 years apart, stability of sexual orientation identity was more common than change. Stability was greatest among men and those identifying as heterosexual. Individuals who identified as 100% homosexual reported nearly the same level of stability as 100% heterosexuals. The bisexual category was the most unstable, with one quarter maintaining that status at Wave 4. Bisexual men who changed their identity distributed themselves among all other categories; among bisexual women, the most common shift was toward mostly heterosexual. Reflecting changes in identity, the proportion of heterosexuals decreased between the two waves.URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10508-012-9913-yKeyword(s)
Sexual orientationReference Type
Journal ArticleJournal Title
Archives of Sexual BehaviorAuthor(s)
Savin-Williams, RitchJoyner, Kara
Rieger, Gerulf