Pubertal Timing, Perceived Social Support, and Self-Esteem Among Sexual Minority and Straight Youth

Self-esteem is crucial for overall well-being and develops amid a complex web of social and biological changes across adolescence and into young adulthood. This study examines how perceived social support and pubertal timing in adolescence relate to young adult self-esteem disparities based on gender/sex and sexual orientation. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 1,144; 76.57% young women, 50% sexual minorities), we tested moderated mediation models predicting young adult self-esteem as a function of adolescent perceived social support and pubertal timing. Lower perceived social support among adolescent sexual minority girls predicted adult self-esteem differences with their heterosexual counterparts. Regardless of sexual orientation, boys who perceived themselves as developing earlier than their peers perceived greater social support during adolescence, which in turn predicted higher young adult self-esteem. We interpreted this to mean that the same social forces protecting early-developing boys may simultaneously undermine all boys' developing self-esteem by promoting downward social comparisons based on adherence to mainstream masculinity. These findings underscore the contextual nature of self-esteem development and support targeted interventions to support positive self-esteem across gender and sexual identities.