After a breakup: study links moving and other upheavals to a sense of shifting orientation

A breakup changes not only feelings but often everyday life too: home, friends, finances. A research team led by Grace A. O'Toole of Kansas State University examined whether such upheavals are linked to a sense that one's own sexual orientation is changing (“ambiguity”). The study “Understanding Sexual Orientation Ambiguity: Perceptions of Transitional Impacts in the Context of a Relationship Dissolution” was published in The Journal of Sex Research; PsyPost presented it on 25 October. The researchers surveyed 493 adults in the US aged 18 to 76 online, all of whom had ended a committed relationship within the previous two years.

The result: the greater the material impact of the breakup – such as moving, losing shared friends or altered financial circumstances – the greater this ambiguity. The psychological impact, meaning changes in thoughts, emotions and attitudes, was not a significant predictor. Bisexual participants reported more ambiguity than heterosexual ones; those who had lived with their former partner reported less than people who had only been seriously dating. The researchers suggest therapists and counsellors should be attuned to such links.

The study has clear limits: it is based on a one-off survey and shows only associations. The ambiguity may also have contributed to the breakup rather than resulting from it. The sample was predominantly heterosexual, cisgender and white, and the measures used were mainly validated in young adults. No funding is mentioned in the report.