Assessment of the Sexual Orientation of Youth

Abstract

Sexual orientation is a controversial and sensitive issue, and very few individuals openly express their sexual preferences. The present study aims to understand the sexual orientation of youth. The study was conducted among 144 participants, including 71 males and 73 females. The Sexual Orientation Scale, developed by Sagayaraj and Gopal Ram (2020), was used to assess the sexual orientation of the participants. The sample was selected using a simple random sampling technique, and t-tests were conducted to analyze the results. The findings revealed significant gender differences in heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, with males scoring higher in heterosexuality and females scoring higher in homosexual and bisexual orientations. No significant difference was observed in asexuality, indicating similar levels across males and females. These results suggest that gender influences sexual orientation in most dimensions, except for asexuality.