No abstract

Based on a sample of nearly 8,000 college students, this study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of non-heterosexuality using four different measures of sexual orientation: a self-identity measure, an attraction measure, a fantasy measure, and an experiential measure. Over 97% of both males and females labeled themselves as heterosexual, with the proportion of homosexuals and bisexuals combined constituting nearly 3% of the male sample and about 2% of the female sample. Roughly 80-85% of both sexes would be classified as exclusively heterosexual, with about 10% of both sexes having at least half of their sexual fantasies involving same-sex partners. In terms of sexual experiences, about 5% of non-virgin males and 0.5% of non-virgin females reported that all of their experiences had involved same-sex partners. After examining each of the sexual orientation measures separately, we compared them to one another. These comparisons revealed an unsettling number of apparent contradictions in the responses given by individual participants (e.g., participants who stated that they were homosexual but that all of their fantasies involved members of the opposite sex). By eliminating participants who provided these apparent contradictory responses, a post-hoc refined self-identified measure of sexual orientation was created. This refinement had essentially no effect on our estimates of the proportion of college students who were identified as heterosexual or homosexual, thus suggesting that the inconsistencies were largely due to random response error. Boosting our confidence in the post-hoc refined measure, we found that it exhibited slightly stronger links with several established childhood correlates of sexual orientation (such as the enjoyment of collecting dolls and playing dress-up) than was true for the original self-identified sexual orientation.

Sexual orientation was measured as a continuous variable based upon reported percentage of sexual fantasies and percentage of sexual experiences involving members of the same sex. In the present sample (which probably somewhat overrepresented the homosexual end of the continuum) about one-third of both males and females reported at least occasionally fantasizing about sexually interacting with members of the same sex. The survey indicated about one-third of males also reported having had at least one intimate sexual experience with the same sex, whereas only 10% of females did so. Also, virtually all females who sexually fantasized about the same sex only did so occasionally, whereas most of the males who fantasized about the same sex did so much more exclusively. Although these results cannot be considered representative of the distribution of sexual orientation in any natural population, they suggest that there are advantages in measuring sexual orientation as a continuous variable instead of as one with only a few discrete categories. The results also support other studies that have concluded that when deviations from exclusive heterosexuality are present, they are likely to be much more extreme among males than among females.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the MMPI and other personal factors in predicting both the length of time the volunteer would be in the program and the quality of performance of the volunteer in a Companions for Children program. The MMPI scores of 67 volunteers, over a 2-yr. period, were evaluated. There were some significant correlations between longevity in program, specifically occupation, education, and scores on the Hysteria scale of the MMPI were negatively correlated. The staff-rated quality of the volunteers, education, and occupation were significantly correlated, as well as scores on the Psychasthenia scale of the MMPI. A forward stepwise regression, performed for longevity and rated quality, showed education, scores on the F scale, Hysteria scale, and Psychasthenia scale were the four best indicators of longevity. The best four indicators for rated quality were the F scale, Hypochondriasis scale, Schizophrenia scale, and the Social introversion-extroversion scale. Although the MMPI was a good screening device, it was not an adequate predictor of eventual longevity or quality in the program.