title: Stability and change in sexual orientation identity over a 10-year period in adulthood.
abstract: We examined reports of sexual orientation identity stability and change over a 10-year period drawing on data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS I and II) and tested for three patterns: (1) heterosexual stability, (2) female sexual fluidity, and (3) bisexual fluidity. Fifty-four percent of the 2,560 participants were female and the average age was approximately 47 years. At Wave 1, 2,494 (97.42%) reported a heterosexual identity, 32 (1.25%) a homosexual identity, and 34 (1.33%) a bisexual identity and somewhat more than 2% reported a different sexual orientation identity at Wave 2. Although some support for each hypothesis was found, initial sexual orientation identity interacted with gender to predict a more complex pattern. For the sample as a whole, heterosexuality was the most stable identity. For women, bisexuality and homosexuality were equally unstable and significantly less stable than heterosexuality, suggesting that sexual orientation identity fluidity is a pattern that applies more to sexual minority women than heterosexual women. For men, heterosexuality and homosexuality were both relatively stable compared to bisexuality, which stood out as a particularly unstable identity. This pattern of results was consistent with previous findings and helps to address methodological limitations of earlier research by showing the characteristics of a population-based sample of heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual identified men and women over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Burt Matthews Hall, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. smock@uwaterloo.ca
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mock
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Eibach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States