Sources of coming out self-efficacy for lesbians

Abstract

The empirical literature on disclosing a lesbian sexual orientation has explored the circumstantial and demographic variables related to this act. This exploratory study utilized self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1986) to investigate the extent to which each of the four sources of efficacy information (e.g., performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, or emotional arousal) contributed to the coming out self-efficacy of lesbians, that is, the sense of confidence possessed by a lesbian to disclose her sexual orientation to others. Anonymous survey packets were completed by 134 lesbians. Results of regression analyses indicated that emotional arousal was the most potent predictor of coming out self-efficacy. Verbal persuasion and vicarious experience also were significant. The most theoretically salient source of self-efficacy information, performance accomplishments (Bandura, 1986), was not a significant predictor of coming out self-efficacy. Further, significant correlations were found between coming out self-efficacy and outness and life-style satisfaction, which were also significantly correlated to measures of psychological adjustment.