Outness in adolescence and well-being in three cohorts of sexual minority adults

For sexual minority (SM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer) youth, coming out, first disclosure of sexual minority identity is an important developmental milestone and is typically associated with positive well-being. However, coming out in adolescence may entail a higher risk of school-based victimization. Due to the increased risk of bullying, the implications of being out in adolescence and well-being later in adulthood remain unclear. Using data from the Generations Study, a national probability survey of 3 distinct cohorts (younger: 18-25; middle: 34-41, older: 52-59) of SM adults (N = 1507) in the United States, this study (a) examined how being out in adolescence affects global well-being in adulthood and (b) SM-specific well-being in adulthood, and (c) examined if these associations differ by cohort. Results from the path analyses demonstrated that being out in adolescence was not significantly associated with global well-being outcomes, but was significantly associated with higher rates of identity centrality and community connectedness, and lower rates of internalized homophobia. Multiple group analyses indicated no differences between cohorts. The findings from this nationally representative sample of SM adults provide novel insight into the positive implications of being out in adolescence for SM-specific well-being.Human Development and Family Science