Electronic Visibility Management of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identities and Relationships in Young Adulthood

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Publication Title

Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy

Volume

16

Issue

4

First page number:

271

Last page number:

285

Abstract

Visibility management is a process the lesbian, gay, and bisexual-identifying (LGB) people use to manage the extent to which they will identify (“out”) themselves in various contexts such as school, work, family, and home-based settings. The purpose of this study then was to explore LGB persons' experiences of electronic visibility in online environments such as social networking sites and the manner in which LGB persons most commonly monitor their electronic visibility as individuals and in couple relationships. Analysis of the survey responses of 61 young adult participants indicated that this sample felt more positive about their identities overall compared with a national sample and that they frequently reported their sexual orientation online, most often on Facebook. In addition, participants reported online disclosure did not have an effect on their relationship satisfaction. Discussion and implications for research and clinical practice are presented. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Language

english

Find It

UNLV article access

Search your library

Share

COinS