Cited by 347LGBTQ Health, Identity, and PolicyGender and Feminist StudiesPsychometric Methodologies and Testing

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 44 of the 44 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Defining and Measuring Sexual Orientation: A Review

Sell, Randall L.·1997·Archives of Sexual Behavior

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

How to define and identify sexual orientations for the purpose of constructing representative samples of homosexuals, bisexuals, and heterosexuals is unclear and confusing to researchers. Different definitions and measures have been proposed and used to develop samples since the 1860s when sexual orientations first gained widespread research interest. Unfortunately, the definitions and measurement tools used since then result in the selection of divergent and incomparable samples. If advances in the understanding of sexual orientations are to be made, it is critical that definitions and measures of sexual orientation be standardized. This paper reviews and critiques definitions and measures of sexual orientation that have been proposed and used by researchers over the past century. This review is intended to further our understanding of this subject and to encourage researchers to be critical of how they classify subjects based upon sexual orientation.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1023/a:1024528427013

Cites

44 of 44 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use
Streiner, D. L., Norman, G. R., & Cairney, J. (1989) · Cited by 9,595
Sexual Behavior in the Human Male
Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. R., & Martin, C. E. (1948) · Physical Therapy · doi:10.1093/ptj/28.2.93 · Cited by 5,575
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
Oyler, M. D., Kinsey, A., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., & Gebhard, P. (1954) · Harvard Law Review · doi:10.2307/1336986 · Cited by 4,609
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., & Martin, C. E. (1954) · Physical Therapy · doi:10.1093/ptj/34.1.50 · Cited by 2,242
Gay New York: gender, urban culture, and the making of the gay male world, 1890-1940
(1994) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.32-1725 · Cited by 1,900
Doing Research on Sensitive Topics
McCarthy, W., & Lee, R. M. (1995) · The Canadian Journal of Sociology · doi:10.2307/3341018 · Cited by 1,126
Bem sex-role inventory : professional manual
Sandra, L. (1981) · Consulting Psychologists Press eBooks · Cited by 783
STUDIES ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX
Ellis, H. (1899) · The American Journal of the Medical Sciences · doi:10.1097/00000441-189901000-00007 · Cited by 565
Sexual Orientation:
Klein, F., Sepekoff, B., & Wolf, T. J. (1985) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1300/j082v11n01_04 · Cited by 536
Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality
Boswell, J., & Jordan, M. D. (1981) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226345369.001.0001 · Cited by 314

Show all 44 references

Research works printed but not linked: 20

Beach, F. (1950). Comments on the second dialogue in Corydon. In Gide, A., Corydon, Farrar, Straus, New York.
Blumer, G. A. (1882). A case of perverted sexual instinct (contrare sexualempfindung). J. Insanity 39: 22–35.
Bullough, V. (1990). The Kinsey Scale in historical perspective. In McWhirter, D. P., Sanders, S. A., and Reinisch, J. M. (eds.), Homosexuality/Heterosexuality: Concepts of Sexual Orientation, Oxford University Press, New York.
Bullough, V. (1994). Introduction. In The Riddle of Man-Manly Love, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
Carpenter, E. (1894). Homogenic Love and Its Place in a Free Society, Labour Press, Manchester, England.
Carpenter, E. (1908). The Intermediate Sex, Allen and Unwin, London.
Coleman, E. (1990). Toward a synthetic understanding of sexual orientation. In McWhirter, D. P., Sanders, S. A., and Reinisch, J. M. (eds.), Homosexuality/Heterosexuality: Concepts of Sexual Orientation, Oxford University Press, New York.
Ellis, H., and Symonds J. A. (1896). Sexual Inversion, Wilson and Macmillan, London.
Katz, N. (1992). Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the United States, Meridian, New York.
Legman, G. (1941). The language of homosexuality: An American glossary. In Henry, G. W., Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns, Paul B. Hoeber, New York.
Masters, W. H., Johnson, V. E., and Kolodny, R. C. (1988). Human Sexuality: Third Edition, Scott, Foresman, Glenview, IL.
Moll, A. (1891). Die Kontrare Geschlechtsempfindung, Fischer's Medicin, Berlin, Germany.
Plato (1993). The Symposium and The Phaedrus, State of New York Press, Albany, NY.
Potter, L. A. F. (1933). Strange Loves: A Study in Sexual Abnormalities, Robert Dodsely, New York.
Robinson, V. (ed.). (1936). Encyclopedia Sexualis. Dingwall-Rock, New York.
Signorle, M. (1993). Queer in America, Random House, New York.
Sudman, S. (1976). Applied Sampling, Academic Press, New York.
Ulrichs, K. H. (1994). The Riddle of Man-Manly Love, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY.
Weinrich, J. D. (1994). Homosexuality. In Bullough, V. L., and Bullough, B. (eds.), Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia, Garland, New York.
Weinrich, J. D. (1990). The Kinsey Scale in biology, with a note on Kinsey as a biologist. In McWhirter, D. P., Sanders, S. A., and Reinisch, J. M. (eds.), Homosexuality,: Concepts of Sexual Orientation, Oxford University Press, New York.

Items 201–300 of 346

Sexual Orientation Prototypicality and Well-Being Among Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Adults
Feinstein, B. A., Meuwly, N., Davila, J., Eaton, N. R., & Yoneda, A. (2014) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-014-0401-4 · Cited by 10
“Early research on sexual orientation viewed self-identification and sexual behavior as the defining features (e.g., Garnets, 2002; Rothblum, 2000; Sell, 1997), but scholars have recently proposed that sexual orientation is a broad, multifaceted construct that also includes different types of…”
Background
Stories Told Together: Male Narratives of Non-Monogamous Bi+ and Heterosexual Men
Castro, A. (2021) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-021-02008-6 · Cited by 11
“The study explored not just the stories of these men but also what types of practices and experiences were part of their personal backgrounds (Sell, 1997) regarding their relational practices (monogamous or non-monogamous) and three components of sexual orientation (Savin-Williams, 2006; Sell, 1997): attractions (fant…”
Background
Is Sexual Attraction Independent of the Instrumental and Expressive Traits?
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. Á., & Olmo, I. D. (2006) · The Spanish Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1017/s1138741600006065 · Cited by 10
“Two opposite categories—heterosexuality versus homosexuality—with no overlapping, the predominant conception during the first half of the 20th century (Sell, 1997).”
Background
Intersexual and Intrasexual Differences in Mate Selection Preferences Among Lesbian Women, Gay Men, and Bisexual Women and Men
Klümper, L., Hassebrauck, M., & Schwarz, S. (2023) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-023-02665-9 · Cited by 9
“We used only a categorical way of measuring sexual orientation, asking participants to choose from limited options (Sell, 1997).”
Method
What Research Shows: NARTH's Response to the APA Claims on Homosexuality A Report of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
Phelan, J. E., Whitehead, N. E., & Sutton, P. M. (2009) · Cited by 9
Bisexuality, Quality of Life, Lifestyle, and Health Indicators
Horowitz, S. M., Weis, D. L., & Laflin, M. T. (2003) · Journal of Bisexuality · doi:10.1300/j159v03n02_02 · Cited by 9
“Bisexuality, health, homosexuality, quality of life, sexual orientation INTRODUCTION A widespread approach to the study of sexual orientation has been to categorize persons as heterosexual or homosexual and ignore BI as a distinct category (Sell 1997).”
Background
Care of the Transgender Patient: Postoperative Pain Management
Pisklakov, S. V., & Carullo, V. P. (2016) · Topics in Pain Management · doi:10.1097/01.tpm.0000484122.79025.d6 · Cited by 9
Multidimensional Measurement of Sexual Orientation: Present
Weinrich, J. D. (2014) · Journal of Bisexuality · doi:10.1080/15299716.2014.951138 · Cited by 9
Sexuality and fertility desire in a large cohort of individuals with 46, XY differences in sex development
Batista, R. L., Inácio, M., Brito, V. N., Sircili, M. H. P., Bag, M. J., Gomes, N. L., Costa, E. M. F., Domenice, S., & Mendonca, B. B. (2023) · Clinics · doi:10.1016/j.clinsp.2023.100185 · Cited by 8
Psychotic experiences and non-heterosexuality among Latino and Asian Americans
Oh, H. Y. (2020) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291720000197 · Cited by 8
Implicit Sexual Cognitions in Women with Ambiphilic Sexual Attractions: A Comparison to Androphilic and Gynephilic Women
Snowden, R. J., Gray, N. S., & Uzzell, K. S. (2023) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-023-02727-y · Cited by 8
“It should be noted, however, that sexual orientation/identity and sexual attractions/associations are not synonymous (Sell, 1997) and there are clear examples, discussed in the Introduction (e.g., Chivers et al., 2004), where sexual identity and sexual arousal do not correspond.”
Background
[Sociodemographic features of suicide attempts].
Garcı́a-Resa, E., Conesa, D. B., Blasco, H., Ramírez, A., Jiménez, L., Díaz-Sastre, C., Baca‐García, E., & Sáiz, J. (2002) · Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría · Cited by 7
Sexual Orientation and the Effects of Intimate Partner Violence
Koeppel, M. D. H., & Bouffard, L. A. (2014) · Women & Criminal Justice · doi:10.1080/08974454.2013.842517 · Cited by 8
“Also, sexual orientation is a complex concept that is best measured on a continuum or from a multi-item instrument instead of a single-item indicator (Klein, 1993; Sell, 1997).”
Background
Evolution of Homosexuality
Savolainen, V., & Hodgson, J. A. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3403-1 · Cited by 8
Effects of Gender Group Norms on the Endorsement of Same-Sex Attraction, Behavior, and Identity
Clarke, M. J., Marks, A. D. G., & Lykins, A. (2015) · Journal of Bisexuality · doi:10.1080/15299716.2015.1050537 · Cited by 8
“For the purposes of this study, ‘sexual behavior’ will include activities more focused on physical congress, such as those noted by Sell (1997), including sexual contact, genital activity, or sexual contact that achieves orgasm.”
BackgroundMethod
Young Adults' Attitudes Toward Polygamous Marriage as a Function of Gender, Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage, and Other Sociopersonality Constructs
Negy, C., Pearte, C., & Lacefield, K. (2013) · Marriage & Family Review · doi:10.1080/01494929.2012.728556 · Cited by 7
Setting the Scene: Locations for Meeting Sex Partners Among Behaviorally Bisexual Men in Vientiane, Laos, and Opportunities for Health Promotion
Bowring, A. L., van Gemert, C. E., Vongsaiya, K., Hughes, C., Sihavong, A., Phimphachanh, C., Chanlivong, N., Agius, P. A., Toole, M., & Hellard, M. E. (2014) · AIDS Education and Prevention · doi:10.1521/aeap.2014.26.6.538 · Cited by 7
Psychological Assessment of Homosexual Tendencies in Potential Candidates for the Roman Catholic Priesthood
Songy, D. G. (2007) · Pastoral Psychology · doi:10.1007/s11089-007-0110-1 · Cited by 7
Using the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid in Sociological Studies
Lovelock, J. M. (2014) · Journal of Bisexuality · doi:10.1080/15299716.2014.946197 · Cited by 7
“Sell (1997) suggested that the KSOG is unsatisfactory because it is requires a trade-off to be made between heterosexuality and homosexuality.”
Background
The Relationship Between Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Among Males in a Cross-Cultural Analysis in Brazil, Turkey and Thailand
Cardoso, F. L. (2012) · Sexuality & Culture · doi:10.1007/s12119-012-9161-2 · Cited by 7
Numeracy About Minority Populations: Americans’ Estimations of Local Gay Population Size
Overby, L. M., & Barth, J. (2006) · Polity · doi:10.1057/palgrave.polity.2300037 · Cited by 7
Attraction to Men and Women Predicts Sexual Dimorphism Preferences
Batres, C., Jones, B. C., & Perrett, D. I. (2020) · International Journal of Sexual Health · doi:10.1080/19317611.2020.1713956 · Cited by 7
“The Kinsey scale ranged between “exclusive heterosexuality” and “exclusive homosexuality” (Sell, 1997).”
Background
Measuring Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation in National Disease Surveillance Systems: A Pilot Study
Noel, J. K., & Lutz, T. M. (2020) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2020.1745740 · Cited by 7
[Sexual attraction: its dimensionality].
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. Á., & Rodríguez, A. (2006) · PubMed · Cited by 7
Sexual orientation and sexual behavior: results from the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002-2006.
Keyes, S. M., Rothman, E. F., & Zhang, Z. (2007) · Journal of LGBT Health Research · doi:10.1080/15574090802092614 · Cited by 9
“Despite a recent increase in the number of studies that include either self-identified sexual orientation or same-sex sexual behavior variables, estimates of the size of the GLB population are often not comparable across these studies, due to variability in the indicators used, sampling methods, and study populations…”
Result
Counselling Psychology Contributions to Understanding Sexuality
Hicks, C. (2010) · doi:10.1002/9780470667279.ch15 · Cited by 7
La mesure de l’orientation sexuelle : historique et pratiques actuelles
Beaulieu‐Prévost, D., & Fortin, M. (2014) · Sexologies · doi:10.1016/j.sexol.2014.05.005 · Cited by 6
Conscientiousness, perceived control over HIV and condom use in gay/bisexual men
Hagger-Johnson, G., & Shickle, D. (2010) · Psychology and Sexuality · doi:10.1080/19419891003634547 · Cited by 8
“Finally, it could be argued that sexual identity should not be measured on a continuous rating scale, as this format forces participants ‘to make tradeoffs between homosexuality and heterosexuality’ (see Sell, 1997, for a review).”
BackgroundMethod
Identity, Relationship Satisfaction, and Disclosure
Velkoff, E. A., Forrest, L. N., Dodd, D. R., & Smith, A. R. (2015) · Psychology of Women Quarterly · doi:10.1177/0361684315621496 · Cited by 6
“Kinsey’s Scale has been criticized for only assessing sexual behavior, which many researchers view as only one aspect of sexual orientation (M. Diamond, 1993; Masters & Johnson, 1979; Sell, 1997; Weinrich et al., 1993).”
Method
Confronting homophobia in Europe
Wintemute, R., & Gasparini, A. (2012) · Cited by 6
The Association between Intentional Overdose and Same-Sex Sexual Intercourse in a Cohort of People who Inject Drugs in Melbourne, Australia
O’Keefe, D., Bowring, A. L., Aitken, C. K., & Dietze, P. (2017) · Substance Use & Misuse · doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1363240 · Cited by 6
“© Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Sexual orientation encompasses facets of identity, attraction and sexual behavior (Sell, 1997).”
Background
2 Models and Measures of Sexual Orientation
Swan, D. J. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-71535-3_2 · Cited by 6
Re-Doing Research: Best Practices for Asking About Gender and Sexuality in Education Studies
Jones, T. M. (2019) · Palgrave studies in gender and education · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-24205-3_9 · Cited by 11
Testing an empirical model of workplace sexual identity management.
Rummell, C. M., & Tokar, D. M. (2015) · Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity · doi:10.1037/sgd0000144 · Cited by 8
Large-scale GWAS reveals insights into the genetic architecture of same-sex sexual behavior
Ganna, A., Verweij, K. J. H., Nivard, M. G., Maier, R., Wedow, R., Busch, A. S., Abdellaoui, A., Guo, S., Sathirapongsasuti, J. F., Lichtenstein, P., et al. (2020) · Yearbook of pediatric endocrinology · doi:10.1530/ey.17.15.15 · Cited by 6
Bisexual orientation cannot be reduced to arousal patterns
Feinstein, B. A., & Galupo, M. P. (2020) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2016612117 · Cited by 6
Is everyone a mix of straight and gay? A social pressure theory of sexual orientation, with supporting data from a large global sample
Epstein, R., Wang, H., & Zankich, V. R. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1187377 · Cited by 5
“, 2012), and other studies have reported similar findings (Ellis et al., 1987; Haslam, 1997; Sell, 1997; Kraemer et al., 2006; Thompson and Morgan, 2008; Chivers et al., 2010; Vrangalova and Savin-Williams, 2012; Epstein and Robertson, 2014).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Impact of Perpetrator and Victim Gender on Perceptions of Stalking Severity
Brenik, M., Tuluceanu, A.-C., Smillie, E., Cassal, L. C. B., Mead, C. L., & Mojtahedi, D. (2025) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs15020120 · Cited by 5
Face validity ratings of sexual orientation scales by heterosexual cisgender adults
Galupo, M. P., & Bennett, A. J. (2019) · Psychology and Sexuality · doi:10.1080/19419899.2019.1610035 · Cited by 5
Erotic, Pornographic, or Obscene: Factors Influencing the Perception of Photographs of the Nude
McDowall, J. J. (2008) · Empirical Studies of the Arts · doi:10.2190/em.26.1.g · Cited by 5
“As well, a Sexual Orientation Measure (SOM) was developed from principles discussed by Sell (1997).”
Method
Diversity Considerations in the Assessment and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder
Meidlinger, P. C., & Hope, D. A. (2014) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118653920.ch11 · Cited by 5
Experiences with sexual orientation microaggression in mental health services in Israel
Breski, H., & Lavie‐Ajayi, M. (2023) · Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health · doi:10.1080/19359705.2023.2258822 · Cited by 5
“Therefore, the participant sample for this study was assembled from a pool of LGB identifying professionals who defined themselves as part of the gay community, and who were willing to take part in the study (Sell, 1997).”
Examining Discrepancies Among Sexual Orientation Components in a Representative Sample of Men at Risk for HIV/AIDS
Starks, T., Nadler, J., Sagrestano, L., & Sarvela, P. (2009) · Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health · doi:10.1080/19359700903012039 · Cited by 4
“The conceptualization and assessment of sexual orientation has a long history, summarized by Sell ( 1996 , 1997 ).”
Background
Difference in Pap test uptake between women who have sex with women and other women in France: A comparative survey of 2032 women
Poupon, C., Poirier, M., Blum, Y., Lagarrigue, S., Parléani, C., Vibet, M., & Winer, N. (2022) · Preventive Medicine Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101990 · Cited by 4
“We combined two criteria related to sexual behavior and self-definition to reliably define the WSW status reliably (Diamant et al., 1999); using only one of these two criteria can lead to more discordances as two studies have reported (Sell, 1997)(Shively et al., 1983).”
Method
Quantifying Sexual Orientation Among Homeless and Unstably Housed Women in a Longitudinal Study: Identity, Behavior, and Fluctuations Over a Three-Year Period
Flentje, A., Brennan, J. M., Satyanarayana, S., Shumway, M., & Riley, E. D. (2018) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1080/00918369.2018.1536417 · Cited by 4
“Challenges to measuring and reporting sexual orientation in research studies include the multidimensionality of the construct of sexual orientation (Sell, 1997), consisting of, at minimum, identity and behavior, and up to seven dimensions (Klein, Sepekoff, & Wolf, 1985), along with the potential for discordance among…”
Method
The Development of the Sexual Responsiveness Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults: Putting a Definition of Sexual Orientation to the Test
Heath, L., & Euvrard, G. (2008) · South African Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1177/008124630803800404 · Cited by 4
“These findings echo factor analysis findings related to similar items on the KSOG (Sell, 1997).”
Background
What's in a Name? Examining the Creation and Use of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Labels
Brown, L. B. (2015) · ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University) · Cited by 4
A model for the development of disordered eating among lesbians
Joshua, M. D. (2002) · doi:10.12794/metadc3241 · Cited by 4
Family and Relationship Quality among Young Adults with Different Sexual Orientations in Urban China: The Mediating Effects of Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem
Yan, W., Huang, C., & Li, C. (2022) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2022.2117772 · Cited by 3
Gender-Specificity in Sexual Attraction and Fantasies: Evidence from Self-Report and Indirect Measures
Keinan-Bar, S., Bar-Anan, Y., & Joel, D. (2025) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2025.2545965 · Cited by 4
“It is a prominent facet of human sexuality, alongside other important aspects such as sexual arousal, fantasies, and behaviors (Klein et al., 1985; Sell, 1997).”
Alternative Sexual Orientation in Humans: What Is Known and What Needs to Be Known Further
Jain, S., & Rana, M. (2021) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1080/00918369.2021.1898805 · Cited by 3
“Alfred Kinsey introduced the Kinsey scale in 1948 (Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction; Sell, 1997); it ranges from 0 to 6 (Table 1).”
Method
The influence of minority stress on the neurobiological correlates of executive functioning
Patel, H., Siegel, M., Hatchard, T., Veltman, A., McKinnon, M. C., Syan, S. K., Merrifield, C., Roth, S. L., Georgiades, K., Archie, S., et al. (2022) · Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery · doi:10.21037/qims-22-206 · Cited by 3
“Notably, the Kinsey Scale conflates or omits different aspects of sexual orientation, assumes sexual orientation is linear (rather than multidimensional), and polarizes heterosexual and homosexual desires as trade-offs (9,10).”
Satisfaction Among LGBTQIA+ Individuals with Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Survey Questions
Mesalles, V., Lepore, N., Morelli, A., Magee, L., Siswandjo, J., & Harel, D. (2025) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1080/00918369.2025.2507884 · Cited by 3
“Sexual orientation refers to a person’s physical, emotional, and romantic attraction, and behaviors; sexual identity refers to a person’s self-identification and sense of self (APA, 2022; Sell, 1997).”
Operationally defining sexual orientation : towards the development of a fundamental measure of adolescent sexual responsiveness variations
Heath, L. J. (2005) · Cited by 3
BUILDING THE PILLARS OF DIVERSITY IN THE U.S. HEALTH SYSTEM: ADDRESSING DISPARITIES OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
Laurie Safford, M. S. W. (2002) · Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs · doi:10.1081/crp-120013244 · Cited by 3
The Australian corporate closet: Why it's still so full!
Smith, I. P., & McCarthy, G. (2017) · Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health · doi:10.1080/19359705.2017.1354793 · Cited by 4
The Collapse of Ascetical Discipline and Clerical Misconduct: Sex and Prayer
Cross, R. K., & Thoma, D. S. (2006) · The Linacre Quarterly · doi:10.1080/20508549.2006.11877771 · Cited by 3
“Sell , 1997 pp. 643-658.”
Facilitating and Inhibiting Factors for Self-Reports of Same-Gender Attraction in Cisgender Heterosexual-Identifying Women and Men
Chessin, K., Lazo, A., Strait, M. K., & Tate, C. C. (2019) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2019.1632252 · Cited by 3
“In addition to methodological issues concerning how sexual orientation identity is asked (e.g., Galupo, Mitchell, Grynkiewicz, & Davis, 2014; Hinderliter, 2009; Sell, 2007), a number of LGBAQ people may come out later in life, but identify as heterosexual until that time (e.”
Background
Mormon women's experiences with same-sex sexuality
Jacobsen, J. (2013) · J. Willard Marriott Library · doi:10.26053/0h-63d1-bfg0 · Cited by 3
The meaning of murder: newspaper framing of hate crimes against lesbians.
Grozelle, R. S. (2014) · e-scholar@UOIT (University of Ontario Institute of Technology) · Cited by 3
Reply to “More Puzzles: A Response to Seto’s (2017) ‘The Puzzle of Male Chronophilias’” (Fedoroff, 2018)
Seto, M. C. (2018) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-018-1298-0 · Cited by 3
Delving into teen dating violence, gender and health assets in a participatory educational intervention: A mixed methods evaluation
Cerdán-Torregrosa, A., Pérez‐Martínez, V., Davó-Blanes, M. C., Comino, I., Madrona-Bonastre, R., Sanz‐Barbero, B., & Vives‐Cases, C. (2025) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108144 · Cited by 2
Interacting comparatively
Al-Sheroqi, T., Al-Thani, F., Alzini, M., Souayah, I., & Theodoropoulou, I. (2023) · Metaphor and the Social World · doi:10.1075/msw.22024.the · Cited by 2
Tailoring general population surveys to address participation and measurement challenges of surveying lesbian, gay, and bisexual people
Stange, M. (2014) · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · Cited by 2
Temporal Stability and Cross-National Consistency of the Dimensional Structure of the Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ)
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. Á., Olmo, I. D., Buizza, C., & Imbasciati, A. (2009) · The Spanish Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1017/s1138741600002092 · Cited by 2
“With regard to the first group, the dimensional structure operationalized by the SAQ is clearly different from the dichotomic categorization that was typical of the first half of the past century: heterosexuality versus homosexuality (Sell, 1997), if only because individuals who are attracted to both sexes or to neith…”
BackgroundInfluential
Transcultural self-efficacy of nursing education leaders and faculty related to non-binary sexual identities
Grace, H. (2013) · ProQuest LLC eBooks · Cited by 2
Asset-based approaches for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and two-spirit (LGBTQI2-S) youth and families in systems of care
Gamache, P., & Lazear, K. J. (2009) · Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) · Cited by 2
Indirect self-destructiveness in homosexual individuals
Tsirigotis, K., Gruszczyński, W., & Tsirigotis‐Maniecka, M. (2014) · Psychiatria Polska · doi:10.12740/psychiatriapolska.pl/online-first/2 · Cited by 3
Understanding the Work Experiences of Gender and Sexual Minorities: Advances, Issues, and New Directions in Research
Cubrich, M. (2020) · Cited by 2
Gender-related friend preferences of youths with different sexual orientations: the effects of gender role and sexual attraction
Cui, J., Pei, M., & Su, Y. (2020) · Psychology and Sexuality · doi:10.1080/19419899.2020.1734066 · Cited by 2
Differences in Mental Health and Bullying Victimization Experiences between Youth of Different Sexualities: A Bayesian Perspective
Vleioras, G., Andreou, E., & Papadopoulos, O. (2021) · Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma · doi:10.1080/10926771.2021.1970670 · Cited by 2
“Finally, future research could use more sexuality groups than the ones used in the present study, for instance, based on the degrees of exclusivity of heterosexuality and homosexuality (Sell, 1997).”
Method
Questões sobre sexualidade e educação sexual: novos paradigmas e horizontes
Maia, A. C. B., Ribeiro, P. R. M., Teixeira, F., Chagas, I., Vilaça, T., Mendes, P. D. O. E. S. P., de Melo, S. M. M., Rossi, C. R., & Martins, I. P. (2021) · doi:10.46848/000690 · Cited by 2
Devolviendo la visibilidad a los invisibles. Preguntando la orientación sexual en las encuestas de opinión pública en España.
Dueñas, J. M. R. (2022) · Estudios LGBTIQ+ Comunicación y Cultura · doi:10.5209/eslg.79620 · Cited by 2
The Effect of Social Capital in the Intimate Partner Violence in Adolescents from an Intersectionality Perspective
Abiétar, D. G., Sánchez, F., Juárez, O., Alemán, S. T., Forcadell‐Díez, L., Vives‐Cases, C., Sanz‐Barbero, B., Pérez‐Martínez, V., Davó-Blanes, M. C., López, M. J., et al. (2023) · Journal of Feminist Gender and Women Studies · doi:10.15366/jfgws2023.14.002 · Cited by 3
Concordancia entre dos formas de investigar la orientación sexual en adolescentes de Santa Marta, Colombia
Campo‐Arias, A., Díaz‐Martínez, L. A., & Ospino, G. A. C. (2009) · Redalyc (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) · Cited by 2
Shame Due to Heterosexism, Self-esteem and Perceived Stress: Correlates of Psychological Quality of Life in a Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Sample
Bonds, S. E. (2015) · University of North Texas Digital Library (University of North Texas) · doi:10.12794/metadc822796 · Cited by 2
MATERIALITY, BECOMING, AND TIME: THE EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGY OF SEXUALITY
Houghtaling, M. K. (2013) · QSpace (Queen's University Library) · Cited by 2
Evolution of Homosexuality
Savolainen, V., & Hodgson, J. A. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_3403 · Cited by 2
K insey Scale
Quinan, C. L. (2016) · The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies · doi:10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss555 · Cited by 2
Expanding, refining, and replicating research on high school gay-straight student alliances and sexual minority youth
Heck, N. C. (2013) · The Mathematics Enthusiast · Cited by 2
A heavy burden: Associations between sexual minority status, mental health, and BMI in women
Goldblatt, A. E. A., Bankoff, S. M., Katz‐Wise, S. L., & Pantalone, D. W. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23423 · Cited by 1
Is sexual orientation a categorical or spectrum dimension? An exploratory study of different sexual orientation measurements and scales
Mărgărit, E. D. (2025) · Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.2478/rjap-2025-0003 · Cited by 1
Gender-Specificity of Sexual Attraction Across Cultures: Individual and Societal Factors
Keinan-Bar, S., Kostenko, V., & Joel, D. (2026) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2026.2630959 · Cited by 2
Measures of Sex, Gender, Gender Role, and Sexual Orientation
Loue, S. (2006) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-32462-3_7 · Cited by 1
Associations Between Three Measures of Sexual Orientation and High Risk Sexual Behaviors in Young Adults
Eisenberg, M. E., Pettingell, S. L., van den Berg, P., & Haines, J. (2009) · Journal of LGBT Health Research · doi:10.1080/15574091.2011.633448 · Cited by 1
Dimensionality and Transcultural Specificity of the Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ)
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. Á., Icaza, V. J., & Escorial, S. (2012) · The Spanish Journal of Psychology · doi:10.5209/rev_sjop.2012.v15.n1.37339 · Cited by 1
“Later, it was included as a component of sexual orientation, as this sexual orientation was considered to be multidimensional (Berkey, Perelman-Hall, & Kurdek, 1990; Coleman, 1987; Davis, Yarber, Bauserman, Schreer, & Davis, 1997; Klein, 1990; Sell, 1996, 1997; Weinrich et al., 1993).”
Background
Pengukuhan Orientasi Seksual Terhadap Sesama Jenis (Gay) dalam kalangan Remaja Lelaki: Implikasi Terhadap Keluarga dan Rakan Sebaya
Aziz, A., Sawai, R. P., Amat, M. I., Musa, N. C., & Sawai, J. P. (2021) · Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH) · doi:10.47405/mjssh.v6i5.795 · Cited by 1
HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND EXPERIENCES OF DISCRIMINATION FOR LESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE
Christopher, P. J. (2012) · UNM’s Digital Repository (University of New Mexico) · Cited by 1
Technosexuality: Technology, sexuality, and convergence
Wolf, J. M. (2012) · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · Cited by 1
Se vivre lesbienne ou bisexuelle aujourd’hui ? C’est comme un tailleur Chanel jaune fluo...
Detournay, R. H. (2015) · Thérapie Familiale · doi:10.3917/tf.151.0149 · Cited by 1
Exploring Health Care Access for Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Living in Middlesex County, Ontario
Coleman, T. A. (2014) · Scholarship@Western (Western University) · Cited by 1
Queers in the Hands of a Loving God: God Image, Strength of Faith, and Campus Climate in Predicting Self-Stigma
Willis, S. L. (2016) · Cited by 1
Surveying Sexual and Gender Minorities
Clark, M. A., Rosenthal, S. R., & Boehmer, U. (2014) · doi:10.1002/9781118594629.ch23 · Cited by 1
I Kissed a Girl: Do Women Feel Pressured to Engage in Public Same-Sex Sexual Behaviour?
Brown, L. L. (2014) · UVic’s Research and Learning Repository (University of Victoria) · Cited by 1
Discrimination of sexual minorities and plans to relocate
Smith, M. (2013) · Louisiana State University · doi:10.31390/gradschool_theses.2547 · Cited by 1
“…categories of sexual orientations include heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual (i.e., individuals with fluid sexuality; Green, Payne, & Green, 2011), and bisexual, although many researchers see sexual orientation, as well as gender identity, less categorical and more on a continuum (Sell, 1997).”
Background
Prevalence and Correlates of HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C Infections and Sexual Behaviours of Men who have sex with men in Two Cities in Nigeria
Adebajo, S. B. (2014) · TSpace (University of Toronto) · doi:10.13140/rg.2.1.4970.5688 · Cited by 2
Addressing Health Disparities Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth and Adults in Wisconsin
Vaade, E. S., Gavin, M., Engel, E. A., & Benditt, L. (2009) · Minds at UW (University of Wisconsin) · Cited by 1
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Klostermann, K. C., & Forstadt, D. (2016) · The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies · doi:10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss568 · Cited by 1
Build it so they will come? Feasibility and efficacy of a gamified personalized normative feedback alcohol intervention for sexual minority women
Boyle, S. C. (2021) · Scholarship - Claremont (Claremont Colleges) · doi:10.5642/cguetd/202 · Cited by 2
The Allomothering Hypothesis: an Examination of the Adaptiveness of Female Sexual Fluidity in Self Identified Heterosexual and Mostly Straight Women
Radtke, S. R. (2021) · doi:10.32920/ryerson.14653623 · Cited by 1

Authors: Sell, R. L.
Affiliations: Columbia University (US)
Corresponding author: Sell, Randall L.
ORCID: Sell, Randall L.
Venue: Archives of Sexual Behavior
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 1997-12
Volume: 26
Issue: 6
Pages: 643-658
ISSN: 0004-0002 (ISSN-L)
1573-2800
DOI: 10.1023/a:1024528427013
OpenAlex: W2167752770
Cited by: 347
References: 44
Citations by year: 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 16
FWCI: 3.56
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (tdm)
www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (vor)
Locations: Archives of Sexual Behavior (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Keywords: sexual orientation, sexual orientation measurement, sample representativeness, homosexuality, bisexuality, heterosexuality, measurement standardization
MeSH terms: Female, Gender Identity, Homosexuality, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Defining and Measuring Sexual Orientation: A Review

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks