Abstract
Sexual identity ambiguity may be a unique source of identity distress for emerging adults who may be questioning or uncertain about their sexual orientation. Increased identity distress has been associated with greater reported internalizing symptoms for emerging adults, but there is some research that suggests both family and peer social support may reduce this association. The current study aimed to investigate a) the association between sexual identity ambiguity distress and internalizing symptoms, b) the association between perceived social support and internalizing symptoms and c) whether higher perceived social support would reduce the association between sexual identity ambiguity distress and internalizing symptoms. Participants were 85 Brandeis emerging adults (ages 18-24, 61.6% female, 73.3% heterosexual identified), who reported on perceived family and peer social support, depression and anxiety symptoms, and sexual identity ambiguity with follow-up questions measuring sexual identity ambiguity distress. Preliminary results found a significant association between sexual identity ambiguity and higher overall internalizing symptoms, with a non-significant positive trend between sexual identity ambiguity distress and depression symptoms. Higher peer social support was associated with lower internalizing symptoms and lower depression symptoms. These preliminary findings demonstrate the importance of investigating potential protective factors that may reduce the negative impact of internalizing symptoms for emerging adults experiencing sexual identity ambiguity and/or sexual identity ambiguity related distress.