Abstract
Sexual orientation development among young adults has increasingly attracted scholarly attention due to its implications for students’ psychological well-being and identity formation. This study examines how three psychological variables—self-acceptance, interest, and assertiveness—predict inclination toward sexual orientation among undergraduate students in public tertiary institutions in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
The study adopts a correlational research design. A multistage sample of 1,317 level-200 students from three purposively selected institutions completed the researcher-developed Psychological Variables and Inclination to Sexual Orientation of Students Questionnaire (PVITSOOSQ; α = .93). Simple linear regression was used to test each predictor separately.
Results show that self-acceptance significantly predicts inclination toward sexual orientation (R = .598, R² = .357, p < .005), accounting for 35.7% of the variance. Interest emerges as the strongest predictor (R = .866, R² = .750, p < .005), accounting for 75.0% of the variance, while assertiveness also strongly predicts inclination (R = .844, R² = .712, p < .005), accounting for 71.2% of the variance.
Findings suggest that intrapersonal psychological characteristics, particularly students’ interest and assertiveness, are closely associated with how individuals form and express sexual orientation inclinations. Implications for campus counselling, staff training, and family engagement are discussed. The study recommends, among other measures, that counsellors should foster healthy identity exploration by providing access to relevant books, documentaries, and educational programs on human sexuality and diversity.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19369194
Writers:
Usenobong D. Edem
Department of Guidance and
Counselling, University of Uyo,
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Felicia N. Modo
Department of Guidance and
Counselling, University of Uyo,
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Ime N. George
Department of Guidance and
Counselling, University of Uyo,
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Corresponding Author’s Email:
usenobongedem@uniuyo.edu.ng
orcid.org/0009-0008-2870-9923 &
orcid.org/0000-0002-1585-1428