Examining Concordant and Discordant Sexual and Romantic Attraction in American Adults: Implications for Counselors

abstract

The present study examined self-reported sexual and romantic attractions in a sample of 414 American adults. Forty-four (10.6%) participants reported discordant sexual and romantic orientations. The most commonly reported type of discordant attraction was bisexual sexual attraction but romantic attraction to only one sex, followed by romantic attraction to both sexes but sexual attraction to either one or neither sex. There were no significant gender, age, or relationship status differences between individuals with concordant and discordant orientation. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Asexuality
• romantic attraction
• romantic orientation
• sexual attraction
• sexual minority
• sexual orientation

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the Office of Academic Affiliations, Department of Veterans Affairs.