The Correlation Between Sexual Identity Exploration and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract: Within positive psychology, personality trait research has shown that higher levels of openness to experience and self-exploration are generally correlated with a large-range of positive psychosocial outcomes. How does the exploration of sexual identity interact with psychological well-being? The recent emergence of sexual identity research has resulted in an increased understanding of the highly complex process of sexual identity development among heterosexual and sexual minority groups. However, much of the previous psychological research on sexual identity has been focused on the negative outcomes among minority groups (e.g lesbian, gay and bisexual), as well as sexual identity formation within men and women exclusively. This study is a cross-sectional, quantitative study that used data from participants with a variety of sexual orientations, nationalities, and gender identities (n=314). The individuals were recruited from online platforms (Reddit and Facebook), where they voluntarily completed a survey to investigate the relationship between sexual identity exploration and commitment (MoSIEC) and psychological well-being (Ryff Scale). Results of a linear regression analysis revealed that there is a positive correlation between the two variables. Suggestions for future research include additional data analysis, expansion of methodology and practical implementations of the implications of the results.