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Sexual Orientation and Personality Dimensions Measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory among Adolescents

Skoog, Therése ; Claesdotter-Knutsson, Emma LU ; Håkansson, Anders LU orcid ; Kapetanovic, Sabina and Gerdner, Arne (2025) In Archives of Sexual Behavior 54(6). p.2321-2332
Abstract

Research on adolescent sexual orientation has expanded in recent decades, yet little is known about its associations with personality traits during this developmental period. This study examined personality dimensions, as measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, across adolescent sexual orientation groups (asexual, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual) in a community-based sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 1195). Significant differences emerged primarily among girls, with bisexual girls exhibiting higher novelty seeking and harm avoidance but lower reward dependence and self-directedness compared to heterosexual peers. Asexual girls displayed lower novelty seeking than all other groups. Among boys, bisexual adolescents... (More)

Research on adolescent sexual orientation has expanded in recent decades, yet little is known about its associations with personality traits during this developmental period. This study examined personality dimensions, as measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, across adolescent sexual orientation groups (asexual, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual) in a community-based sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 1195). Significant differences emerged primarily among girls, with bisexual girls exhibiting higher novelty seeking and harm avoidance but lower reward dependence and self-directedness compared to heterosexual peers. Asexual girls displayed lower novelty seeking than all other groups. Among boys, bisexual adolescents showed elevated harm avoidance relative to their heterosexual and asexual peers. Overall, effect sizes were small, though some post hoc comparisons yielded moderate to large effects. These findings suggest that sexual orientation is linked to personality traits during adolescence, with notable gender differences in the nature and magnitude of these associations.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adolescents, Character, Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, Personality, Sexual orientation, Temperament
in
Archives of Sexual Behavior
volume
54
issue
6
pages
12 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:40610718
  • scopus:105009616838
ISSN
0004-0002
DOI
10.1007/s10508-025-03180-9
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.
id
1d50ef87-ad0a-48c3-b68a-200a1fa19f67
date added to LUP
2025-12-16 13:09:56
date last changed
2025-12-16 13:10:56
@article{1d50ef87-ad0a-48c3-b68a-200a1fa19f67,
  abstract     = {{<p>Research on adolescent sexual orientation has expanded in recent decades, yet little is known about its associations with personality traits during this developmental period. This study examined personality dimensions, as measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, across adolescent sexual orientation groups (asexual, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual) in a community-based sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 1195). Significant differences emerged primarily among girls, with bisexual girls exhibiting higher novelty seeking and harm avoidance but lower reward dependence and self-directedness compared to heterosexual peers. Asexual girls displayed lower novelty seeking than all other groups. Among boys, bisexual adolescents showed elevated harm avoidance relative to their heterosexual and asexual peers. Overall, effect sizes were small, though some post hoc comparisons yielded moderate to large effects. These findings suggest that sexual orientation is linked to personality traits during adolescence, with notable gender differences in the nature and magnitude of these associations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Skoog, Therése and Claesdotter-Knutsson, Emma and Håkansson, Anders and Kapetanovic, Sabina and Gerdner, Arne}},
  issn         = {{0004-0002}},
  keywords     = {{Adolescents; Character; Junior Temperament and Character Inventory; Personality; Sexual orientation; Temperament}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{2321--2332}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Archives of Sexual Behavior}},
  title        = {{Sexual Orientation and Personality Dimensions Measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory among Adolescents}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03180-9}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10508-025-03180-9}},
  volume       = {{54}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}