On March 31, the University of Chicago at Illinois released the results of the study "Sexual Orientation Identity Change and and Depressive Symptoms." The study shows that adults who became more same-sex-oriented experienced more symptoms of depression than those whose orientation remained stable or changed in the opposite direction.
The author of the study, Univesity of Illinois at Chicago ( UIC ) Assistant Professor Bethany Everett, examined data from both the third and fourth waves of the "National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health." In both waves, individuals were asked to identify their sexual identity on a continuum ranging from "exclusively heterosexual" to "bisexual" to "exclusively gay or lesbian."
About 12 percent of respondants showed a change of sexual orientation during the seven-year period. Of those, 70 percent experienced more of an attraction to those of the same gender.
Individuals with higher levels of same-sex attraction showed higher levels of depression than those whose sexual orientations remained stable or changed in the opposite direction. There was no effect of age and gender on this trend.
Individuals considered to have a high propensity to change their sexual orientation or who identified as "mostly heterosexual" did not experience this increase. Individuals who had consistently identified as "mostly gay or lesbian" actually experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms. There were no differences in the general amount of depression between the gay or lesbian, bisexual and exclusively heterosexual participants who reported stable identities.
Several researchers of social stress have found that losses of identity are particularly threatening to mental health. Everett told Windy City Times "having an LGBT identity allows people to access a [social] network. … Stability is a protection no matter what identity you might be. … Moving means you might have to recalibrate."
But individuals who become more same-sex attracted face an additional challenge that is not faced by those who were already gay or lesbian, or those who change to less of a same-sex orientation. "They are encountering new stigmas and rejections by their friends and family and struggling to find resources," said Everett.
The level of importance that sexual identity plays in one's life may also determine how much of an effect it has on mental health. Said Everett, "in the identity research, there is a measure of valance, how core that piece of identity is to you. … If that is further down the chain … change might not bother [you]."
This study is one of the only studies to address the mental health consequences of sexual orientation mobility. It helps to identify a potential risk factor in depression as well as the possible need for intervention. In addition, Everett said "[the survey] is nationally representative. A lot of the research on identity has been kind of community-based. Participants were not selected to be in this study based on sexual orientation at all."
The study was supported with grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institutes of Health's Office of Research on Women's Health, and the University of Colorado Population Center. The UIC news release is available at news.uic.edu/ .
