This is the second in a series of columns featuring findings from the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study, which is the first study of lesbians' health that collects information over time. The 450 women who are in the study were recruited three to four years ago from the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
Among the many health variables examined in the CHLEW study is sexual identity development. Sexual identity development, which typically begins in adolescence or young adulthood, is the sometimes complicated process of making sense of one's sexual attractions, emotional attachments, and sexual behaviors.
Reports from lesbians in our study and other studies conducted in the U.S. point to some important milestones of sexual identity development including first wondering about being lesbian/gay, first deciding that they are lesbian/gay, and first telling someone that they are lesbian/gay. This process is often referred to as coming out.
The CHLEW study includes a diverse group of women; 47% are white, 30% are African American, 20% are Latina/ Hispanic, and 2% are Asian or Pacific Islander. As a whole, women in the study first wondered about being lesbian/gay when they were 16 years old; they first decided that they were lesbian/gay at age 22; and first told someone else that they were lesbian/gay when they were 24. These are averages for the whole group.
The ages when these milestones occurred vary based on the age of the study participant when interviewed and some of the milestones may vary based on race/ethnicity. We plan to include more about age and race/ethnic differences in the coming out process in a later column.
We also plan to examine whether ages of coming out are associated with health issues such as alcohol use and depression. In addition, we are interested in exploring the relationship between coming out and use of mental health counseling. Our goal in asking these questions is to determine the impact of coming out on other aspects of lesbians' health.
We are now conducting the second phase of interviews with the 450 women who participated in the study in 2000-2001. The overall success of this research project depends on finding and interviewing as many women from the first phase of the study as possible. We have lost contact with about 35 of the 450 women who were interviewed three years ago.
If you or anyone you know participated in the first phase of the study please call toll-free 1-866-933-3459 or contact us via e-mail (chlewstudy@yahoo.com). No one can replace the original participants (we cannot add lesbians to the study who did not participate in 2000-'01), so it is critically important that we locate each of the 35 missing participants. We very much appreciate your help and look forward to bringing you interesting and useful information about health issues of importance to our community.
