Homosexuality : the disclosure process during adolescence

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During no other time in history have sexual minority individuals been the recipients of so muchattention, scrutiny and unprecedented acceptance and inclusion into mainstream culture. However,despite advances and society's ever increasing tolerance toward sexual minorities, many individualswith alternative sexual orientations remain fearful of disclosing their sexuality. Consequently,adolescents often hide their alternative sexual orientation from others or disclose to only a selectfew. Adolescents with alternative sexual orientations face unique challenges, such as the coming outprocess, during which they must recognise, explore, define and disclose their orientation in a waythat heterosexual individuals need not. Disclosure of an alternative sexual orientation is a strugglefor most lesbian, gay and bisexual youth due to fears of discrimination, ostracism and violence fromothers. Despite a growing body of scientific literature on homosexuality in general, little is knownabout the disclosure process and its impact on an adolescent. This study seeks to help fill the gapsby giving voice to the adolescent by exploring the experience of disclosure. Furthermore, this studyseeks to provide insight and knowledge to mental health professionals to aid adolescent clientsthroughout the disclosure process.This study's research methodology can be described as qualitative research which is embeddedwithin an interpretive/constructivist paradigm. Purposive sampling was used to select five male andfive female research participants. The methods of data collection that were employed comprisedsemi-structured individual interviews and reflective notes. Furthermore, content analysis was usedto analyse the data.The findings of this study suggest that many unique issues besides the normative challenges thatlesbian and gay adolescents share with heterosexual adolescents characterise their development.This research study suggests that there are several milestones that are characteristic of lesbian andgay identity development, the negotiation of which may hinder development in other areas. Themale and female participants described a similar trajectory to coming out, consistently identifying afeeling of being different during early childhood which resolved into an awareness of same-sexattraction that concluded in their self-labelling as gay or lesbian. The findings of this study suggestthat the process of disclosure is continuous and emergent. The reactions of parents ranged fromextreme outrage and expulsion from the home to support and acceptance of the fact that their childhad disclosed his/her homosexual orientation. From the findings of this study it would appear that the participants' parents were initially ill prepared and unable to support their child during his/herdisclosure. The participants voiced various strategies to support an adolescent in the position ofdisclosing to family. There are several implications of this study's findings for mental healthprofessionals working with lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents and youth.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University