Table 2.
Age of sexual identity milestones, disclosure milestones, and the time between milestones by race/ethnicity, gender, age cohort, and sexual identity (N=396)
| Total | Male | Female | Gay/Lesbian | Bisexual | Age 18–29 |
Age 30–44 |
Age 45–59 |
White | Black | Latino | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 396 (100%) |
n = 198 (50%) |
n = 198 (50%) |
n = 325 (82%) |
n = 71 (18%) |
n = 176 (44%) |
n = 174 (44%) |
n = 46 (12%) |
n = 134 (34%) |
n = 131 (33%) |
n = 131 (33%) |
||
| Age of first same-sex… (mean age [SD]) | ||||||||||||
| Attraction | 11.32 (4.83) |
10.86 (4.71) |
11.79 (4.90) |
10.86 (4.48) |
13.49 (5.72)* |
11.44 (4.09) |
11.51 (5.58) |
10.17 (4.19) |
11.29 (4.28) |
11.74 (5.16) |
10.95 (5.01) |
|
| Self-identification | 16.17 (6.23) |
14.77 (6.12) |
17.58 (6.04)* |
15.34 (5.94) |
19.96 (6.16)* |
15.28 (4.58) |
17.11 (7.18) |
16.02 (7.34)* |
15.94 (4.74) |
16.82 (6.25) |
15.76 (7.43) |
|
| Intimate relationship |
18.37 (6.35) |
17.65 (6.37) |
19.09 (6.26)* |
18.25 (5.48) |
18.94 (9.42) |
16.55 (5.26) |
19.48 (6.34) |
21.17 (8.13)* |
18.81 (5.71) |
18.48 (6.09) |
17.81 (7.18) |
|
| Disclosure (%) | ||||||||||||
| Family | 90 | 89 | 90 | 93 | 76* | 89 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 88 | 88 | |
| Other LGB individuals |
100 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 99* | 100 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 100 | |
| Straight friend | 94 | 92 | 96 | 96 | 86* | 94 | 93 | 98 | 99 | 93 | 91* | |
| Age of first disclosure to… (mean age [SD]) | ||||||||||||
| Family | 21.16 (6.08) |
20.71 (5.74) |
21.60 (6.38) |
20.98 (6.11) |
22.20 (5.87) |
18.41 (3.36) |
22.92 (5.81) |
25.18 (9.80)* |
20.99 (5.51) |
21.09 (5.88) |
21.42 (6.91) |
|
| Other LGB individuals |
19.68 (5.21) |
19.15 (4.57) |
20.21 (5.74)* |
19.21 (4.91) |
21.84 (6.01)* |
17.52 (3.10) |
21.05 (5.19) |
23 (7.80)* |
19.20 (4.03) |
20.06 (5.30) |
19.8 (6.13) |
|
| Straight friend | 20.45 (5.76) |
20.22 (5.77) |
20.68 (5.76) |
20.08 (5.66) |
22.33 (5.96)* |
18.04 (3.29) |
21.74 (5.47) |
24.98 (9.08)* |
19.68 (4.94) |
21.02 (6.05) |
20.73 (6.25) |
|
| Time between… (mean age [SD]) | ||||||||||||
| Attraction and self-identification |
4.85 (6.09) |
3.89 (6.17) |
5.81 (6.09)* |
4.49 (5.57) |
6.53 (7.88)* |
3.83 (4.40) |
5.60 (6.91) |
5.85 (7.63)* |
4.65 (4.92) |
5.09 (5.87) |
4.82 (7.29) |
|
| Attraction and intimate relationship |
7.06 (7.39) |
6.83 (7.70) |
7.29 (7.09) |
7.42 (6.27) |
5.38 (11.16)* |
5.08 (6.74) |
8.01 (7.20) |
11 (8.31)* |
7.51 (6.45) |
6.81 (7.66) |
6.84 (8.05) |
|
| Self-identification and family disclosure |
5.12 (6.28) |
5.97 (5.84) |
4.27 (6.60)* |
5.52 (6.37) |
2.78 (1.33)* |
3.08 (3.72) |
5.88 (5.93) |
10.15 (10.79)* |
4.90 (6.05) |
4.51 (6.14) |
5.99 (6.64) |
|
| Self-identification and LGB disclosure |
3.45 (5.21) |
4.38 (5.11) |
2.53 (5.16)* |
3.78 (5.36) |
1.94 (4.16)* |
2.23 (3.65) |
3.78 (4.98) |
6.96 (8.48)* |
3.26 (4.95) |
3.29 (4.92) |
3.82 (5.76) |
|
| Self-identification and straight disclosure |
4.53 (6.19) |
5.74 (6.37) |
3.31 (5.77)* |
4.83 (6.40) |
3.02 (4.73)* |
2.80 (4.30) |
5.12 (5.95) |
8.91 (9.68)* |
3.71 (5.58) |
4.71 (6.56) |
5.27 (6.40) |
|
*
Subgroup differences significant at p < 0.05