Differences Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Heterosexual Individuals, and those Who Reported an Other Identity on an Open-Ended Response on Levels of Social Anxiety.

Previous research suggests that individuals with a marginalized sexual orientation report higher levels of emotional distress (Cochran, 2001; Mayer, 2003), including higher prevalence of social anxiety (Gilman et al., 2001; Potoczniak, Aldea, & DeBlaere, 2007; Safren & Pantalone, 2006) than heterosexuals. The present study builds on previous research by examining results across sexual minority identities, including an additional write-in response option. One hundred eighty individuals participated in an online study in which they indicated their sexual orientation and completed measures of social anxiety. Results indicated that in a sample recruited in a liberal urban population, lesbian/gay, and heterosexual individuals rated similar levels of social anxiety across four Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale subscales (fear, avoidance, social, and performance; Liebowitz, 1987). Alternatively, individuals who identified as bisexual, or indicated a write-in sexual orientation rated significantly higher levels of social anxiety than the heterosexual, and lesbian/gay groups. Findings highlight the importance of offering a write-in sexual identity option, as well as looking at differences among group experiences across sexual minorities. Future studies should investigate potential group differences in social anxiety across sexual orientations in larger samples so that comparisons can be made among subgroups of the write-in response group, as well as investigate potential contributors to these group differences.