Sex Differences in Social Intimacy: The Role of Identity Styles

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between sex and social intimacy with an emphasis on the mediating role of identity styles in high school students. In a descriptive cross-sectional study 2099 students (1008 males and 1091 females) who were selected using random cluster sampling from high schools in the city of Tehran completed The Identity Styles Inventory and The Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression. The results of MANOVA showed that in general there is a significant difference between the two sexes and different educational levels with regard to the three levels of identity styles. Results of correlation matrix showed a positive and significant correlation between social intimacy (p<0.01) and informational (p<0.01), normative styles and commitment (p<0.01) in boys and girls and a negative and nonsignificant correlation between social intimacy and diffuse/ avoidant style in girls, and a significant negative correlation between social intimacy and diffuse/avoidant style in boys (p<0.05). The results of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that sex (p<0.001), educational grade (p<0.01), informational style (p<0.001), normative style (p<0.001), and commitment (p<0.05) are significant predictors of social intimacy. Despite a significant correlation between informational, normative styles with social intimacy in the evaluation of the correlation between demographic variables such as sex and age with social intimacy, the role of identity style is not very important.