Sexual Identity Development and Subjective Well-Being Among Chinese Lesbians

Abstract

Little is known about the sexual identity development process and psychological adjustment of lesbians living in Asia. The subjective well-being (SWB), including satisfaction with life, hope, and happiness, was assessed in relation to stage of sexual identity development for Chinese lesbians ages 18 to 42 with an online survey. Participants were 439 women living in China, Hong Kong/Macau, or Taiwan who were emotionally attracted to (romantically in love and/or sexually involved with) other women and identified with one of six sexual identity developmental stages of The Stage Allocation Measure (SAM). Participants identifying with later stages on the SAM reported being more hopeful and satisfied with their lives than individuals at early and middle stages. They were also more likely to have disclosed their sexual identity to family members. Women in committed relationships reported more life satisfaction and more disclosure of their sexual identity to family members. Directions for future research include conducting more emic studies in this area, and implications for clinicians include helping clients recognize that greater integration of sexual identity is associated with higher SWB.