Sexual Orientation Identity Development Milestones Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (level by design analogy)
OpenAlex W3210995302 · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753954
What was done
The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 studies examining sexual orientation identity development milestones among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) individuals. They synthesized mean ages and 95% confidence intervals for six milestones: attraction awareness, questioning orientation, self-identification, sexual activity, coming out, and romantic relationships. Subgroup variations by sex, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and birth cohort were also assessed.
What was found
Milestones generally emerged in sequence starting with attraction and questioning, followed by self-identification and sexual activity, and concluding with coming out and romantic relationships. Reported mean effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals for milestone ages were: attraction at 12.7 years (10.1, 15.3), questioning at 13.2 years (12.8, 13.6), self-identifying at 17.8 years (11.6, 24.0), sexual activity at 18.1 years (17.6, 18.6), coming out at 19.6 years (17.2, 22.0), and romantic relationships at 20.9 years (13.2, 28.6). Substantial heterogeneity in mean effect sizes was observed, with timing varying across sex, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and birth cohort.
Why it matters
This review provides quantitative benchmark ages for key LGB+ developmental milestones and establishes that while a general sequence exists, individual trajectories differ markedly across demographic subgroups and historical periods.
Limits
The total number of individual participants across the 30 studies is not reported in the abstract. Substantial statistical heterogeneity was present across included studies, resulting in very wide confidence intervals for several milestones (such as self-identification and romantic relationships). Specific effect sizes for subgroup differences (sex, race/ethnicity, birth cohort) were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Historically, the timeline for forming same-gender romantic relationships among gay and lesbian individuals has tended to be longer than for heterosexual relationships.