Kept in the Closet: Structural Stigma and the Timing of Sexual Minority Developmental Milestones Across 28 European Countries
Date
2023-07-06
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Abstract
Structural stigma’s role in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people’s attainment of identity development milestones remains unknown. In a sample of 111,498 LGB people (ages 15 to 65+) living across 28 European countries, associations were investigated between structural stigma measured using an objective index of discriminatory country-level laws and policies affecting LGB people and the timing and pacing of LGB self-awareness, coming out, and closet duration, and subgroup differences in these associations. On average, self-awareness occurred at age 14.8 years old (SD = 5.1), coming out occurred at 18.5 years old (SD = 5.7), and the closet was 3.9 years long (SD = 4.9); thereby highlighting adolescence as a key period for sexual identity development and disclosure. Greater structural stigma was associated with higher odds of never coming out, later age of coming out, and longer closet duration. Gender identity, transgender identity, and sexual identity moderated associations between structural stigma and these developmental milestones. Reducing structural stigma can plausibly promote sexual identity development among LGB populations, especially during adolescence when identity related milestones are often attained.
Description
This version of the article has been accepted for publication in Journal of Youth and Adolescence, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01818-2. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023. This article will be embargoed until 07/06/2024.
This research was featured in UDaily on 6/24/2024 at https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2024/june/eric-layland-lgbtq-support-pride-month/
Keywords
disclosure, stigma concealment, identity development, structural stigma, lesbian, gay, bisexual
Citation
Layland, E.K., Bränström, R., Murchison, G.R. et al. Kept in the Closet: Structural Stigma and the Timing of Sexual Minority Developmental Milestones Across 28 European Countries. J. Youth Adolescence 52, 2012–2030 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01818-2