Latent Classes of Adolescent Sexual and Romantic Relationship Experiences: Implications for Adult Sexual Health and Relationship Outcomes

Adolescents’ sexual and romantic relationship experiences are multidimensional but often studied as single constructs. Thus, it is not clear how different patterns of sexual and relationship experience may interact to differentially predict later outcomes. In this study we used latent class analysis to model patterns (latent classes) of adolescent sexual and romantic experiences, and then examined how these classes were associated with young adult sexual health and relationship outcomes in data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We identified six adolescent relationship classes: No Relationship (33%), Waiting (22%), Intimate (38%), Private (3%), Low Involvement (3%), and Physical (2%). Adolescents in the Waiting and Intimate classes were more likely to have married by young adulthood than those in other classes, and those in the Physical class had a greater number of sexual partners and higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some gender differences were found; for example, women in the Low-Involvement and Physical classes in adolescence had average or high odds of marriage, whereas men in these classes had relatively low odds of marriage. Our findings identify more and less normative patterns of romantic and sexual experiences in late adolescence and elucidate associations between adolescent experiences and adult outcomes.     

Developmental Latent Patterns of Identification as Mostly Heterosexual Versus Lesbian,Gay, or Bisexual

Scant research exists on the development of mostly heterosexual identity, the largest sexual orientation minority subgroup. We used longitudinal latent class analysis to characterize the patterns of identification with lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), or mostly heterosexual identities from ages 12 to 23 in 13,859 youth (57% female) in a U.S. national cohort. Three classes emerged: completely heterosexual (88.2%), mostly heterosexual (9.5%), and LGB (2.4%). LGB class youth generally identified with sexual minority identities by ages 12–17. In contrast, mostly heterosexual class youth identified with sexual minority identities gradually, with steady increases in endorsement starting at the age of 14. Developmental implications of these differential patterns are discussed.     

Operationalization of Three Dimensions of Sexual Orientation in a National Survey of Late Adolescents

This study investigated three dimensions of sexual orientation—identity, attraction, and behavior—in a national survey of late adolescents. Prevalence rates and the diversity of dimensions of sexual orientation when combined were studied. A representative sample of 3,432 Swedish high school seniors completed an anonymous school-based self-report survey about sexuality, Internet use, and health. Four measures of sexual orientation were included—one for sexual identity, two for attraction (emotional or sexual attraction, romantic attraction), and one for sexual behavior. Prevalence rates of sexual minority orientation varied between 4.3% for sexual behavior (males 2.9%, females 5.6%) and 29.4% for emotional or sexual attraction (males 17.7%, females 39.5%). Different measures of sexual orientation were significantly associated with one another. Bisexual or homosexual orientation was reported by 1.5% of the participants in all four measures and by 17.6% in at least one measure. Researchers need to carefully choose, depending on the research questions under investigation, which dimensions of sexual orientation and which measures they wish to include in their survey. Recommendations based on findings from the study are given.     

Bullying Victimization Trajectories for Sexual Minority Adolescents: Stable Victims,Desisters, and Late‐Onset Victims

Sexual minority adolescents are bullied more frequently than heterosexual peers. Research is lacking on their rates of general and sexual orientation bullying victimization. The present study identified (1) the rate, onset, and desistance of general and sexual orientation bullying victimization, (2) the rate of bullying victimization trajectories, and (3) risk and protective factors across trajectories. A life history calendar method and thematic analysis were employed with a sexual minority adolescent sample (N = 52, 14–20 y/o). General bullying began at age 5 and declined after age 12, with sexual orientation bullying increasing throughout adolescence. Late‐onset victim (34.6%) was the most common trajectory, followed by stable victim (28.9%), desister (23.1%), and nonvictim (13.5%). Differences in risk and protective factors were found across trajectories.     

Patterns of Sexual Behaviors in Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in Mexico

Recent research has documented the importance of understanding the multidimensional nature of sexual risk behavior. However, little is known about patterns of sexual behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Mexico, men who are at greatest risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections compared to other subpopulations in the country. This study applied latent class analysis to data from a large, HIV-negative sample of 18- to 25-year-old Mexican MSM recruited from a social and sexual networking website (N = 3,722) to uncover multidimensional patterns of sexual behaviors, partner factors, and protective behaviors, and examine how these were associated with health and well-being correlates. We selected a model with seven classes. The most common class included those who reported both insertive and receptive behaviors with more than one partner, but smaller groups of individuals were in classes marked by only insertive or receptive anal sex, romantic relationships, or sexual inactivity. Class membership differed by sexual orientation, age, depressive symptoms, alcohol problems, and self-acceptance, with individuals in a class marked by same-sex relationships generally reporting more positive outcomes. Findings suggest heterogeneity of behaviors among Mexican MSM and the possible efficacy of prevention messages tailored to individuals’ specific patterns of sexual behavior.     

Risk Factors of Sexual Harassment by Peers: A Longitudinal Investigation of African American and European American Adolescents

The present research explores risk factors for, and longitudinal associations of, sexual harassment by peers during adolescence. Eight‐hundred and seventy‐two African American and European American adolescents (65.4% African American, 51.1% females) were assessed during the summer after the eighth grade (mean age=14.2 years) and then again in the 11th grade (mean age=17.1 years). At the first assessment, adolescents were asked about their experiences with sexual harassment, their psychological reactions to sexual harassment, and also about their peer relationships, perceived pubertal timing, problem behavior, and mental health. At the second assessment, adolescents reported on their problem behavior and mental health. In general, youth who associated with peers who were involved in problem behavior were at risk for victimization. Among females, those who perceived themselves to be experiencing early pubertal development were also at risk. Additionally, for some adolescents, sexual harassment predicted later adjustment difficulties.     

Suicidality and Sexual Orientation in Five Continents: Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America

This study examined the relation between suicidality and sexual orientation in an intercontinental sample (Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America). Participants responded to a survey hosted on the Internet Website of an international news organization. Categorical analyses compared homosexual and bisexual respondents' history of suicide attempts and suicide ideations to those of heterosexual respondents, by total sample, males only, and females only. A relation between male sexual orientation and suicide attempts was found for every continent except Europe (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3, 6.9). A relation between female sexual orientation and suicide attempts was not found in any continent except North America (OR = 2.1; 95% CI % 1.7, 2.5). These data provide preliminary evidence of intercontinental variation in the relation between suicidality and sexual orientation.     

Multidimensional Profiles of Religiosity Among Adolescents: Associations With Sexual Behaviors and Romantic Relationships

Religiosity is associated with sexual behavior in adolescence; however, religiosity is a multidimensional construct, and it is not clear how different patterns of religiosity may differentially predict sexual behaviors and romantic relationships. We apply latent class analysis to nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; N = 10,149) to examine (1) what religiosity profiles exist among adolescents and (2) how they predict sexual behavior and romantic relationship status in adolescence and young adulthood. Religiosity in multiple domains was associated with lesser odds of sexual behavior compared to profiles marked by only affiliation, private, or public religiosity. Findings suggest that examining multiple facets of religiosity together is important for understanding how religiosity is associated with sexual behavior.     

Processes of Sexual Orientation Questioning among Heterosexual Women

Because very little is known about heterosexual identity development, this study assesses and describes sexual orientation questioning processes of heterosexual-identified women and offers a comparison of these processes with those employed by their sexual-minority counterparts. Participants included 333 female college students (ages 18–23; M = 19.2): 228 participants primarily identified as “exclusively straight/heterosexual,” and 105 participants indicated a sexual-minority identity. Sixty-seven percent of exclusively heterosexual respondents (n = 154) indicated having thought about or questioned their sexual orientation. The processes by which heterosexual participants described questioning their sexual orientation were coded for the presence of five emergent categories using an inductive thematic coding methodology. These five categories included unelaborated questioning (19%), other-sex experiences (16%), exposure to sexual minorities (26%), assessment of same-sex attraction (48%), and evaluations of same-sex behavior (26%). Several unifying and differentiating themes emerged between sexual orientation groups. Results from this study suggest that contemporary young women's heterosexuality is not necessarily an unexamined identity; indeed, the large majority of young women in this sample were deliberately identifying as heterosexual after contemplating alternative possibilities.     

Sexual identity development among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths: consistency and change over time

A longitudinal report of 156 gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths examined changes in sexual identity over time. Fifty-seven percent of the youths remained consistently self-identified as gay/lesbian, 18% transited from bisexual to gay/lesbian, and 15% consistently identified as bisexual over time. Although youths who consistently identified as gay/lesbian did not differ from other youths on time since experiencing sexual developmental milestones, they reported current sexual orientation and sexual behaviors that were more same-sex centered and they scored higher on aspects of the identity integration process (e.g., more certain, comfortable, and accepting of their same-sex sexuality, more involved in gay-related social activities, more possessing of positive attitudes toward homosexuality, and more comfortable with others knowing about their sexuality) than youths who transited to a gay/lesbian identity and youths who consistently identified as bisexual. Contrary to the hypothesis that females are more sexually fluid than males, female youths were less likely to change identities than male youths. The finding that youths who transited to a gay/lesbian identity differed from consistently gay/lesbian youths suggests that identity integration continues after the adoption of a gay/lesbian sexual identity.     

Sexual Behavior Latent Classes Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Associations With Sexually Transmitted Infections

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at disproportionate risk of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We used latent class analysis (LCA) to examine patterns of sexual behavior among MSM and how those patterns are related to STIs. We examined patterns of sexual behavior using behavioral and clinical data from a cross-sectional study of 235 MSM who presented to an urban sexual health clinic for STI testing. Analyzed data were collected using a combination of interviewer- and self-administered surveys and electronic health records. We used LCA to identify underlying subgroups of men based on their sexual behavior, described the demographics of the latent classes, and examined the association between the latent classes and STI status. We identified three latent classes of sexual behavior: Unprotected Anal Intercourse (UAI) Only (67%), Partner Seekers (14%), and Multiple Behaviors (19%). Men in the Multiple Behaviors class had a 67% probability of being STI positive, followed by men in the UAI Only class (27%) and men in the Partner Seekers class (22%). Examining the intersection of a variety of sexual practices indicates particular subgroups of MSM have the highest probability of being STI positive.     

Individual and Gender Differences in Sexual Self-Perceptions

Abstract

A study was conducted to explore the perceptions that individuals have about the sexual component of their self-concept while paying particular attention to gender differences. A list of sexual traits was created that described various components of an individual's sexuality. As predicted, we found that males rate themselves higher on explicitly sexual dimensions (e.g., sexually responsive, experienced) and females perceive themselves to be more romantic and sexually attractive. We also examined how some individual difference variables (masculinity-femininity, erotopho-bia-erotophilia, and sexual experience) may be associated with people's perceptions of their sexuality. For males, masculinity was associated with higher self-ratings on sexual traits related to sexual experience and responsiveness, whereas for females, femininity was associated with higher self-ratings of romanticism and attractiveness. Also, we found that erotophiles and sexually experienced individuals perceive themselves as more sexual than erotophobes and less experienced individuals. The results were discussed in terms of traditional theories about the self-concept and suggestions for further investigations of these issues were noted.     

Measuring Sexual Orientation: A Review and Critique of U.S. Data Collection Efforts and Implications for Health Policy

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Healthy People 2020 goals sought to improve health outcomes among sexual minorities; HHS acknowledged that a dearth of sexual orientation items in federal and state health surveys obscured a broad understanding of sexual minority–related health disparities. The HHS 2011 data progression plan aimed to advance sexual orientation data collection efforts at the national level. Sexual orientation is a complex, multidimensional construct often composed of sexual identity, sexual attraction, and sexual behavior, thus posing challenges to its quantitative and practical measurement and analysis. In this review, we (a) present existing sexual orientation constructs; (b) evaluate current HHS sexual orientation data collection efforts; (c) review post-2011 data progression plan research on sexual minority health disparities, drawing on HHS survey data; (d) highlight the importance of and (e) identify obstacles to multidimensional sexual orientation measurement and analysis; and (f) discuss methods for multidimensional sexual orientation analysis and propose a matrix for addressing discordance/branchedness within these analyses. Multidimensional sexual orientation data collection and analysis would elucidate sexual minority–related health disparities, guide related health policies, and enhance population-based estimates of sexual minority individuals to steer health care practices.     

The Influences of Sociosexuality and Attachment Style on Reactions to Emotional Versus Sexual Infidelity

Perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) youth are surviving into adolescence and young adulthood. Understanding the sexual development of PHIV+ youth is vital to providing them with developmentally appropriate HIV-prevention programs. Using pooled data (N = 417) from two longitudinal studies focused on HIV among youth (51% female; 39% HIV+) and their caregivers (92% female; 46% HIV+), the rate of sexual onset during adolescence across four youth–caregiver combinations was compared: PHIV+ youth with HIV+caregivers (12%), PHIV+ youth with HIV– caregivers (27%), HIV– youth with HIV+caregivers (34%), and HIV– youth with HIV– caregivers (27%). Youth with HIV– caregivers were more likely than other youth–caregiver groups to have had their sexual onset. Youth with HIV+ caregivers reported a slower rate of onset of penetrative sex across the adolescent years. Findings are discussed by highlighting the role that both youth and caregiver HIV status play in the onset of sexual behavior across adolescence.     

Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescents: Gender Differences in Vulnerability to Parental Distress and Discord

This longitudinal study investigated gender differences in the relation between (1) internalizing symptoms of depression and anxiety reported by adolescents, and (2) emotional distress and marital discord reported by their mothers. Structural equation modeling was used to track the relationship between these variables in a community sample of 116 males and 101 females and their parents across three data intervals roughly corresponding to early adolescence (M = 11,4), mid‐adolescence (M = 13,7), and late adolescence/early adulthood (M = 19,2). For early adolescents, there were no gender differences in the relation between internalizing symptoms and parental distress and discord. Gender differences did emerge, however, by midadolescence, at which time parental disturbances were significantly associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescent females but not adolescent males. The emergence of this risk factor during this developmental phase may help account for frequent findings that place adolescent females at higher risk for anxiety and depression than adolescent males.     

Assessing Sexual Abuse/Attack Histories with Bariatric Surgery Patients

This study assessed sexual abuse/attack histories in 537 bariatric surgery patients using the PsyBari. The prevalence rates found were lower (15.5%, 19.3% of women, 5.2% of men) than other studies that used bariatric surgery patients but consistent with studies that used nonbariatric obese subjects. Furthermore, bariatric surgery patients who disclosed sexual abuse/attack were more likely to disclose physical abuse, psychological problems, psychological treatment, psychiatric medication, and psychiatric hospitalization. Among bariatric surgery patients who disclosed sexual abuse/attack, females were more likely to disclose suicidal ideation. A logistic regression found that for females, physical abuse and suicidal ideation reliably predicted abuse/attack status. For males, psychological problems, psychiatric medications, hospitalization, and suicidal ideation, reliably predicted abuse/attack status.     

Does Sexual Orientation Have an Impact on Nonverbal Behavior in Interpersonal Communication?

This study explores the impact of sexual orientation on the nonverbal behavior of individuals in dyadic communication situations. It is hypothesized that the patterns of nonverbal behavior displayed in dyads with and without an individual with an open homosexual orientation are different from those in dyads with heterosexual participants only. An observational study was conducted with a total of 24 participants, 12 with a heterosexual orientation and 12 with a homosexual orientation (6 males and 6 females in each group). Participants were videotaped during a 20-min conversation which took place in dyads that were composed of individuals of the same biological sex with either the same sexual orientation (homosexual or heterosexual) or differing sexual orientations. Results show that in dyads which include a homosexual person nonverbal behavior is different from that displayed in dyads consisting of heterosexual participants only in terms of self-touch, body posture, body orientation, and gaze. Results are interpreted in terms of stereotyping and presentation rules.     

Time-varying associations between parental closeness,self-esteem,and sexual behavior across adolescence and emerging adulthood

This study applied the time-varying effect model (TVEM) to data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to explore how self-esteem mediated age-varying associations of closeness to mother and father and their child's sexual behavior through adolescence and emerging adulthood. Paternal closeness is associated with lesser odds of sexual behaviors for both female and male adolescents until age 20, whereas maternal closeness only predicts for female adolescents between ages 13 and 15. Self-esteem mediated the association between mother closeness and multiple partners in male adolescents between ages 14.5 and 16.5. Fathers have an impact on adolescent sexual behavior across adolescence and emerging adulthood, while mothers' roles are more important for female adolescents in early adolescence.     

Unwanted Childhood Sexual Experiences Relate to Later Revictimization and Male Perpetration

This retrospective study investigated the relation between unwanted childhood sexual contact with adults and subsequent sexual attitudes and behaviors relating to further victimization and perpetration of unwanted sexual behavior for male and female college students. From the completed questionnaires (N = 209), 40.5% of the females and 49.5% of the males reported at least one unwanted sexual experience with an adult prior to age 16. A high percentage of both males and females who had unwanted experiences also reported unwanted sexual experiences in adulthood. In addition, males with unwanted adult-child sexual experiences reported perpetrating acts of sexual aggression as an adult. Those who had unwanted childhood sexual experiences were also more permissive and instrumental in their attitides toward sexuality.