Changes in Sexual Identity and Family Support: A Cohort Analysis

Family support is critical for the well-being of sexual minority (SM) people. Although research has identified that family support is not uniform across SM individuals with different sexual identities, it is unclear whether family support is impacted when individuals change sexual identity. This study explored associations between changes in sexual identity and trajectories of family support among U.S. SM individuals from three age cohorts, and whether these associations were moderated by cohort and directionality of identity change. Data come from a longitudinal study of a national probability sample of SM individuals. Latent growth curve models were conducted to compare the trajectories of family support of individuals who changed sexual identity to those who had consistent sexual identities. Multiple-group analysis examined whether these associations differed by cohort membership. Follow-up analyses examined how the direction of identity change influences the associations between changes in sexual identity and family support. Results showed that patterns of stability and change in sexual identity were not equally associated with trajectories of family support across cohort groups. Individuals in the middle cohort who changed sexual identities experienced less family support, especially when they changed from a monosexual to a plurisexual identity. Among individuals from the older cohort, sexual identity change was associated with levels of family support, but the effects were mixed depending on the direction of identity change. Changes in family support followed by changes in sexual identity vary based on age and/or cohort. More studies examining how identity change is associated with trajectories of social support are needed.