Coming out (CO), the process by which lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and those of all other sexual orientations (LGB+) choose to reveal their sexual orientation to others, is a central component of sexual identity development. The process has been described as an important milestone for sexual identity formation and integration and is positively associated with several benefits in terms of life satisfaction and mental health. Prior research on CO to family members has mainly focused on parental reactions, and only a few studies have investigated the relationship between LGB+ persons and their siblings in the CO process, or the role of best friends in this process. Indeed, siblings have been recognized as playing a major role in the CO process, because they share the same family as the lesbian and gay individual and are often of the same generation.
Thus, our research project will approach this issue with three main goals:
1) provide descriptive qualitative and quantitative data on age-related milestones for CO process;
2) examine whether internalized sexual stigma, homophobic bullying, and positive LGB+ identity might inhibit or encourage the choice to come out;
3) analyze the moderating and meditating roles of LGB+ people's age, gender, and sexual orientation on the relationship between internalized sexual stigma, positive LGB+ identity, and CO to family members/best friends.
To accomplish the planned goals, we will adopt a variety of research methodologies, tools and measures. We will use ad-hoc online surveys to collect data regarding sociodemographic variables, CO process, well-being, internalized sexual stigma, positive LGB+ identity, and homophobic bullying. Moreover, we will conduct standardized interviews to deeply understand the CO process: We will interview the parents of LGB+ sons/daughters and sexual minority people to extend on the existing scientific literature concerning the role of parents/siblings and important others in the LGB+ CO process.
This project will contribute to the extension of knowledge about the CO process among LGB+ people. The study will be conducted in Italy, a country where sexual minorities constantly face the effects of societal heterosexism (Lingiardi et al. 2016). In such a stigmatizing context, sexual minorities have a greater risk of encountering significant difficulties and psychological barriers in disclosing their sexual orientation (Russell & Fish, 2016).
In addition, several fields of psychology (developmental psychology, general psychology, and clinical psychology) could potentially benefit from the studies we have planned. For example, our results could have important implications for identifying the potential predictors of CO, providing some of the main variables that mental health professionals should take into account when considering the CO process as an important therapeutic objective. The results of the project could have important implications for researchers and mental health professionals who might interact with sexual minorities.
An innovative aspect of the present project is a better understanding of the role that a negative (internalized sexual stigma) and positive LGB+ identity have on the well-being of sexual minorities, both with quantitative and qualitative (interviews with LGB+ participants and their parents) approaches. Regarding the qualitative data, the more interesting aspect is to compare the parents¿ perception of the CO process with the witness of their son/daughter.
The progress in this field could have important practical implications, such as school programs, training for teachers and parents, and informative and practical information for mental health experts dealing with youth as they become aware of their sexual orientation and prepare to disclose to important others. Finally, we believe that more efforts should be made to support LGB+ people who are not able to disclose their sexual orientation to families and to important others given that concealment in family settings or in social contexts can interfere with LGB+ identity affirmation.
Again, it should be noted that previous research on the CO process has focused almost exclusively on parental reactions, whereas, to our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated the role of LGB+ persons'CO to siblings on their well-being (Salvati et al., 2018). We believe that too little attention has been focused on CO to siblings and best friends and their reactions. Indeed, this is an important topic that is often ignored despite its significant potential for improving and promoting the well-being of sexual minorities. For this reason, the present study could lead to an advancement of current knowledge on CO in the Italian context. In particular, we will analyze the families' and best friends' knowledge of LGB+ people's sexual orientation and their reactions, as well as the average age of first CO to important others. Moreover, we will aim at deepening the understanding of the relationship between CO to family members and participants' levels of internalized sexual stigma, well-being, and positive LGB+ identity, analyzing the potential moderation and mediation effects of age, gender, and sexual orientation.
The implications of the study will concern the mental health both LGB+ people and youth who self-identify as heterosexual yet are perceived as sexual minorities, because inclusive and supportive environments are necessary for the well-being and mental health of youth, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Attention is needed at the structural level in the form of practices to reduce the risk of discrimination for LGB+ individuals in several personal/relational environments, such as anti-discriminatory campaigns and training or counseling programs about the negative impact of discriminatory practices and the concealment of one¿s sexual identity. Moreover, our results will highlight the need for anti-discrimination policies, as have been implemented in other Western countries (Binkhorst & Kingma, 2012; Russell & Fish, 2016).