Sexual orientation concealment is a prevalent minority stressor among LGBTQ+ people (including nonbinary people) and it is associated with a series of adverse mental health outcomes. The Sexual Orientation Concealment Scale (SOCS) is a widely used brief measure assessing sexual orientation concealment. Although the SOCS has been used with diverse cisgender populations, its validity for nonbinary people, including those of varied racial/ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations, remains unknown. Based on data from an international sample of 340 nonbinary LGBTQ+ individuals, the present study reports the findings of a confirmatory factor analysis to assess the one-factor structure and validity of the SOCS, as well as measurement invariance by racial/ethnic identity (i.e. white and Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour [BIPOC]) and sexual orientation (i.e. monosexual, bi+, and queer). The model fit the data well for the one-factor solution, and we observed partial scalar invariance by racial/ethnic identity and sexual orientation. These findings indicate that the SOCS is valid for use with nonbinary people and provide preliminary support for its use across racial/ethnic and sexual orientation groups. We outline implications for future investigation to increase the cohesion of this body of work, and for clinical practice with nonbinary people.
This phenomenological study explores how adults who identify as Littles understand, develop, and integrate age-related practices into their sense of self. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), eight self-identified Littles participated in semi-structured interviews examining identity trajectories, emotionality, and experiences of being Little within intimate relationship contexts. Analysis generated six experiential themes: early feelings of difference, the gradual articulation of identity, validation through others and community, experiences of emotional authenticity and stress relief, the negotiation of stigma and social risk, and the experience of Littleness as a facet of identity. Findings suggest that being Little is an intentional, adaptive identity that fosters emotional regulation and a sense of authenticity rather than reflecting pathology. Participants described Littleness as multifaceted, involving vulnerability, intimacy, and the integration of developmental needs within adult relational life. These results extend theories of narrative identity development to non-normative sexual and relational identities, highlighting how social validation and community belonging shape meaning-making. The study also offers implications for clinical practice, emphasising affirming therapeutic frameworks, and identifies directions for future research on intersectional experiences of Littleness and stigma within kink communities.
Despite the high prevalence of couples looking for a third, the empirical research on this population is limited. Looking for a third can result in positive outcomes for both the couple and the pursued third - also known as the "unicorn" - as well as challenge harmful mononormative and heteronormative societal structures. Yet, couples who look for a third may encounter stigma from both monogamous and non-monogamous communities. This exploratory study examined the perspectives of people who searched for a third as part of a couple - sometimes referred to as "unicorn 'hunters'". From these participants' perspectives, the aims were to understand unicorn characteristics, investigate the impacts of the search on the couples' relationships and examine the nature of the relationships between the couples and the unicorns. Eighty participants responded to five open-text questions via an online survey. Responses were examined using inductive qualitative content analysis, and four analytic categories were identified - Unicorn Characteristics, Effects on the Couple's Relationship, Desired Relationship with Unicorns, and Actual Relationship with Unicorns. The findings revealed that bisexual women were the most sought-after thirds/unicorns, and that the search had an overwhelmingly positive effect on couples' relationships. Further, the findings revealed several discrepancies between couples' desired and actual relationships with unicorns, including limited consideration of unicorns' own interests and desires. Some responses also reflected exploitative intentions, while others demonstrated awareness of unequal power dynamics and a desire for more ethical ways to approach the search. Accordingly, this paper offers practice considerations for couples searching for a third.
Minority stress theory explains how social and cultural factors affect health outcomes for LBGTQ+ people. However, little research has expanded this framework to understand how minority stress may influence other outcomes, such as education and/or vocational identity development. The present study addressed this gap in the literature with a sample of LGBTQ+ students majoring in engineering. We tested a moderated mediation model of minority stress, examining relationships between distal stressors (i.e., discrimination, school climate) and vocational outcomes (i.e., career self-doubt, exploration, commitment) via proximal stressors (i.e., negative identity), and whether resilience factors (i.e. identity coherence) moderated these relationships. Direct effects explained more of the present data than the moderated mediation model. Overall, higher identity coherence was directly associated with more positive outcomes, and greater negative identity was associated with more negative outcomes. Neither distal stressor predicted vocational outcomes once identity factors were added to the model. Only one moderated mediation effect emerged, such that discrimination predicted more career self-doubt via increased negative identity, and this effect was stronger for those with higher identity coherence. Findings highlight the complicated nature of positive LGBTQ+ identity, which can promote well-being in affirming environments, but may make negative experiences more salient in unsupportive contexts.
