Mainstream models of sexual identity development tend to conceptualize coming out as a linear, stage-based process culminating in full disclosure and increased wellbeing. Yet, empirical research shows that outness is a dynamic, context-dependent process with implications for wellbeing. This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify subgroups of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals based on levels of outness and associated psychosocial variables, including identity resilience, social support, discrimination, and internalized homonegativity. A cross-sectional survey of N = 295 LGB adults assessed outness, identity resilience, life satisfaction, and multiple minority stress indicators. The LPA identified three distinct profiles: (1) Discreetly Well-Adjusted (low outness, high wellbeing), (2) Out and Well-Adjusted (high outness, high wellbeing), and (3) Visibility-Stressed (moderate outness, low wellbeing). These findings challenge the view that concealment harms and disclosure benefits wellbeing, instead supporting models of coming out as a strategic, lifelong process shaped by intrapsychic and interpersonal resources like identity resilience and social support. Enhancing identity resilience and social support may buffer identity threats and optimize mental health, regardless of an individual’s degree of outness. Tailored, person-centered interventions that validate selective disclosure and strengthen protective factors may better support LGB individuals to navigate the complexities of identity management.
Gifford et al. (Fri,) studied this question.