Sexual Orientation and Personality Dimensions Measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory among Adolescents.

Abstract

Research on adolescent sexual orientation has expanded in recent decades, yet little is known about its associations with personality traits during this developmental period. This study examined personality dimensions, as measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, across adolescent sexual orientation groups (asexual, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual) in a community-based sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 1195). Significant differences emerged primarily among girls, with bisexual girls exhibiting higher novelty seeking and harm avoidance but lower reward dependence and self-directedness compared to heterosexual peers. Asexual girls displayed lower novelty seeking than all other groups. Among boys, bisexual adolescents showed elevated harm avoidance relative to their heterosexual and asexual peers. Overall, effect sizes were small, though some post hoc comparisons yielded moderate to large effects. These findings suggest that sexual orientation is linked to personality traits during adolescence, with notable gender differences in the nature and magnitude of these associations.