Sexual orientation has 'in between' groups, study shows
May 9, 2012 By Karene Booker in Other
Sexual orientation is best represented as a continuum that has two new categories -- "mostly heterosexual" and "mostly gay/lesbian" -- in addition to heterosexual, bisexual or gay/lesbian, according to a new Cornell study.
In a study of 1,676 responses to an online sexuality survey advertised on Facebook, which included questions about sexual orientation identity, sexual attraction and sexual partners, 20 percent of women and 9 percent of men identified themselves as "mostly heterosexual." Researchers say that this finding supports using the more nuanced 5-point scale for depicting sexual orientation.
The findings also suggest that sexual orientation is not just a one-dimensional continuum with preference for opposite sex on one end and for the same sex on the other. It is more accurately conceptualized with two continuums, they say -- one for depicting a person's orientation to the same sex and the other for the opposite sex.
"In other words, having more same-sex sexuality does not necessarily mean having less opposite-sex sexuality," said sexuality expert Ritch Savin-Williams, professor of human development in Cornell's College of Human Ecology, who conducted the study with lead author and graduate student Zhana Vrangalova.
The research is published in the February issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior.
The researchers also found that some people who chose either of the two presumably exclusive sexual orientation identities (heterosexual and gay/lesbian) still reported some non-exclusivity in their attractions and/or behavior. Although the researchers did not use a representative sample of U.S. adults, their findings are similar to other investigations based on national samples, they noted.
"We've known for some time that gays, lesbians and bisexuals face common and unique health challenges, and now emerging evidence indicates that people identifying themselves as mostly heterosexual do as well," Savin-Williams said.
Using more accurate sexual orientation labels in health surveys and research will help understand the real-world repercussions of sexuality on physical, sexual, mental and social health, he said.
"It is very encouraging to see more and more investigators including these 'in-between' labels in their studies. The next step is to examine these labels in greater depth and understand what they mean to people and how they shape their lives," Vrangalova said.
The research was supported by the Departments of Human Development and of Psychology.
Provided by
Cornell University
-
Sexual orientation affects cancer survivorship
May 09, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Parents' sexuality influences adoption choices
Apr 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Youth who self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual at higher suicide risk
Feb 05, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Bisexual, lesbian women less likely to get pap tests
Jun 07, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Same-sex relationships increase self-esteem, decrease homophobia in teens
Jul 30, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Early use of tracheostomy for mechanically ventilated patients not associated with improved survival
For critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, early tracheostomy (within the first 4 days after admission) was not associated with an improvement in the risk of death within 30 days compared to patients who ...
Other
17 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Decisions to forgo life support may depend heavily on the ICU where patients are treated
The decision to limit life support in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) appears to be significantly influenced by physician practices and/or the culture of the hospital, suggests new findings from researchers at the ...
Other
19 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
People on higher incomes are happier with new knees
Knee replacement surgery is a very common procedure. However, it does not always resolve function or pain in all the recipients of new knees. A study by Robert Barrack, MD and his colleagues from the Washington University ...
Other
21 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
New search engine finds rare diagnoses
Doctors are trained to think "common disease" when they meet patients in their practices, and as they rarely or never meet a rare disease, it often takes many years to reach the right diagnosis. A new search tool called FindZebra ...
Other
21 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Delayed transfer to the ICU increases risk of death in hospital patients
Delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospitalized patients significantly increases the risk of dying in the hospital, according to a new study from researchers in Chicago.
Other
23 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
A molecular explanation for age-related fertility decline in women
(Medical Xpress)—Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health have a new theory as to why a woman's fertility declines after her mid-30s. They also suggest an approach that might help slow ...
Alcohol sales fall due to ban on multi-buy promotions
(Medical Xpress)—A report published today shows a 2.6% decrease in the amount of alcohol sold per adult in Scotland in the year following the introduction of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act in October 2011.
Facing the chill wind of blood pressure
(Medical Xpress)—High blood pressure is something that has traditionally been a problem in Scotland, but might there be a link to our climate?
US health care: Does more spending yield better health?
(Medical Xpress)—Health care spending is much higher for older Americans than for younger adults and children, on average, and analysts have said that increasing spending leads to longer life expectancy.
Succesful results in developing oral vaccine against diarrhea
The University of Gothenburg Vaccine Research Institute (GUVAX) announces successful results in a placebo controlled phase I study of an oral, inactivated Escherichia coli diarrhea vaccine.
American, Nepalese kids a world apart on social duties
(Medical Xpress)—Preschoolers universally recognize that one's choices are not always free – that our decisions may be constrained by social obligations to be nice to others or follow rules set by parents ...