# Measuring Fluidity in Sexual Orientation Dimensions Prospectively and Retrospectively in a National Cohort of Adolescents and Young Adults

> **NIH NIH R21** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2021 · $226,093

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents and young adults (AYA) in the U.S. experience substantial
health inequities due to minority stress. Research documenting SGM health inequities has been limited by
inadequate methods to measure sexual fluidity (i.e., changes over time in identity and attraction dimensions of
sexual orientation) retrospectively and prospectively, particularly among AYA. Measures of sexual orientation
that ignore sexual fluidity may lead to incorrect assumptions about who comprises the AYA SGM population,
and in turn to inaccurate estimates of population health inequities. Accurate research on SGM health inequities
is critical to the allocation of resources to improve the health of SGM communities. Research documenting
sexual fluidity and related SGM health inequities has been limited by methodological issues, including: (1)
assessing fluidity in only one dimension of sexual orientation (either identity or attractions); (2) examining
differences in fluidity by assigned sex at birth rather than by gender identity and excluding transgender and
nonbinary individuals; and (3) using cross-sectional study designs with retrospective measures of sexual
fluidity that may be subject to recall bias and have not been rigorously tested. Both retrospective and
prospective measures of fluidity that assess multiple dimensions of sexual orientation are needed to accurately
characterize health inequities among SGM AYA in cross-sectional and longitudinal research. MyVoice, a
national U.S. prospective cohort of AYA (N=1280; ages 14-24 years), provides an unprecedented opportunity
to measure sexual fluidity both prospectively and retrospectively among SGM and non-SGM AYA. This existing
cohort study will allow us to collect measures of both sexual orientation identity and attractions at multiple time
points (every 2 months across 12 months; 7 total waves) using quantitative and qualitative measures. The
proposed research will use multiple sociodemographic characteristics available from MyVoice participants at
the time of enrollment to consider subgroup differences in fluidity. Our specific aims are to: 1) Compare
prospective and retrospective measures of fluidity in sexual orientation identity and attractions,
including frequency, direction, and order of occurrence. This aim will allow us to examine changes in
identity and attractions, and whether participants’ retrospective recall of sexual fluidity is consistent with their
prospective report of changes in sexual orientation dimensions. 2) Examine interpretations of measures of
sexual orientation and sexual fluidity. This aim will allow us to refine prospective and retrospective
measures of sexual fluidity based on how participants interpret and respond to these measures, as well as
increasing knowledge about how participants understand changes in sexual orientation dimensions. This
research will inform prospective and retrospective measurement of sexual fluidity for ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10263368
- **Project number:** 5R21MD015838-02
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Sabra L. Katz-Wise
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $226,093
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-14 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10263368

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10263368, Measuring Fluidity in Sexual Orientation Dimensions Prospectively and Retrospectively in a National Cohort of Adolescents and Young Adults (5R21MD015838-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10263368. Licensed CC0.

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