Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics for the Total Sample and by Identity Change, National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health 2001-2008, Waves 1, 3, and 4 (N = 11,727).
| Variable | Total Sample (N = 11,727) | Stable Subsample (n = 10,339) | More Same-Sex Oriented (n = 904) | Less Same-Sex Oriented (n = 484) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stable sexual orientation identity between Waves 3 and 4 | 88.22 | |||
| Sexual orientation identity change between Waves 3 and 4 | ||||
| More same-sex oriented | 7.37 | |||
| Less same-sex oriented | 4.41 | |||
| Sexual orientation identity, Wave 3 | ||||
| Exclusively heterosexual | 89.77 | 94.71 | 85.58*** | — |
| Mostly heterosexual | 7.15 | 3.93 | 6.80** | 70.51*** |
| Bisexual | 1.62 | .47 | 3.69*** | 21.16*** |
| Gay/lesbian | 1.46 | .89 | 3.93 | 8.33*** |
| Depressive symptoms, Wave 3 | 2.30 | 2.21 | 2.97*** | 3.09*** |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||||
| Age, Wave 4 | 28.77 | 28.81 | 28.31 | 28.76 |
| Female | 50.81 | 47.50 | 78.72*** | 70.31*** |
| Male | 49.19 | 52.50 | 21.28*** | 29.69*** |
| Race-ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 65.43 | 64.48 | 72.16** | 74.90*** |
| Non-Hispanic black | 14.11 | 14.77 | 10.23** | 7.34*** |
| Hispanic | 11.44 | 11.61 | 10.76 | 9.81 |
| Other race-ethnicity | 9.02 | 9.14 | 6.85 | 7.95 |
| Education, Wave 3 | ||||
| Less than high school | 8.13 | 8.04 | 8.53 | 9.35 |
| High school graduate | 16.56 | 17.04 | 12.18** | 14.66 |
| Some college | 43.05 | 42.83 | 47.81 | 42.71 |
| College graduate | 32.26 | 32.09 | 31.48 | 33.28 |
| Psychosocial stressors | ||||
| Victimized, Wave 3 | 14.03 | 17.97 | 18.69 | 18.73* |
| Victimized, Wave 4 | 18.07 | 20.92 | 21.24 | 20.94 |
| Self-esteem, Wave 3 | 7.15 | 7.09 | 7.61** | 7.79*** |
| Discrimination, Wave 4 | 24.00 | 23.50 | 30.03** | 24.13 |
| Neighborhood-level measures | ||||
| Percentage Republican, Wave 3 | ||||
| ≤ 33 | 14.02 | 14.04 | 15.24 | 11.57 |
| > 33 to ≤ 66 | 67.98 | 67.59 | 70.46 | 71.61 |
| > 66 | 18.00 | 18.37 | 14.30* | 16.82 |
| Percentage under the poverty line, Wave 3 | 14.81 | 14.89 | 14.81 | 13.22* |
| Percentage with college degree, Wave 3 | 22.53 | 22.30 | 23.75 | 25.10 |
| Percentage under the poverty line, Wave 4 | 14.73 | 14.76 | 15.10 | 13.49* |
| Percentage with college degree, Wave 4 | 25.19 | 24.99 | 26.14 | 27.59* |
| Same-sex couples, Wave 3 | ||||
| Same-sex couples, .0% | 55.46 | 55.63 | 53.25 | 55.73 |
| Same sex couples, > 0% to < 2.0% | 37.66 | 37.73 | 36.42 | 38.40 |
| Same sex couples, 2.0% to 8.0% | 6.88 | 6.64 | 10.33* | 5.87 |
| Same-sex couples, Wave 4 | ||||
| Same-sex couples, .0% | 56.08 | 56.70 | 53.00 | 50.75 |
| Same-sex couples, > 0% to < 2.0% | 33.02 | 32.59 | 34.70 | 36.87 |
| Same-sex couples, 2.0% to 8.0% | 10.90 | 10.71 | 12.30 | 12.38 |
| Sexual minority indicators | ||||
| Sexual romantic attraction, Wave 3 | ||||
| Same-sex romantic attraction, Wave 3 | 9.42 | 5.35 | 20.35*** | 62.17*** |
| Opposite-sex-only romantic attraction | 90.58 | 82.99 | 79.65*** | 37.83*** |
| Sexual behavior before age 18 | ||||
| No sex before 18 | 32.39 | 33.57 | 26.22*** | 27.19 |
| Same-sex sex before 18 | 3.34 | 1.91 | 15.10*** | 11.69*** |
| Opposite-sex-only sex before 18 | 64.27 | 37.48 | 58.68*** | 61.12*** |
| Romantic relationships, Wave 3 | ||||
| No relationship | 15.28 | 15.81 | 12.48* | 12.01* |
| Same-sex relationship | 2.87 | 1.96 | 7.31*** | 12.86*** |
| Opposite-sex-only relationships | 81.85 | 83.74 | 80.21 | 75.13 |
| Depressive symptoms, Wave 4 | 2.57 | 2.47 | 3.56*** | 3.00** |
*
p ≤ .05
**
p ≤ .01
***
p ≤ .001.