Parting with a close person is always a shock. But, as scientists from Kansas State University found, the consequences may be deeper than just a broken heart. A study published in The Journal of Sex Research found a link between serious material changes after a breakup and uncertainty about sexual orientation.
The survey involved 493 people from the US aged 18 to 76. All of them had experienced the end of a serious relationship in the past two years. Participants filled out questionnaires that separately assessed psychological consequences (changes in thoughts and emotions) and material ones, for example moving, losing a shared circle of friends or financial difficulties.
The results showed that those who faced stronger material upheavals had a higher level of so-called sexual ambivalence. Sexual ambivalence is a state in which a person perceives their orientation as changeable, not fully clear or contradictory. At the same time, purely psychological suffering after a breakup was not linked to this effect.
The researchers emphasize that this is a correlation, a statistical link that by itself does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. It is quite possible that it is material difficulties after a breakup that make a person reconsider their identity. But the reverse is also possible: internal uncertainty about orientation could have contributed to the breakup.
Curious differences emerged between groups. Bisexual participants reported higher ambivalence than heterosexual ones. People with a genderqueer identity (those who do not fit the traditional division into "men" and "women") did so more often than cisgender men (those whose gender identity matches their sex at birth). African Americans did so more often than white people. In addition, those who lived with a partner before the breakup showed less uncertainty than those who were merely dating.
The authors of the work, Grace O'Toole and her colleagues, believe that these data are important for psychologists and counselors: specialists should take into account how life upheavals can trigger a rethinking of identity. Also, according to the researchers, it is useful for society to know that sexuality can remain fluid throughout life.
However, the study has limitations. The data were collected at a single point in time, so the conclusions concern only associations, not causes. The sample was predominantly heterosexual, cisgender and white, meaning the results may not extend to other groups. Finally, the methods for assessing sexual ambivalence were mainly tested on young people, and their accuracy for older ages has yet to be verified.
The scientists plan to continue the work by observing people over time to understand whether material upheavals after a breakup really push people toward reconsidering their orientation.