A mixed methods investigation of sexual victimisation and coping among sexual minority compared to heterosexual women

ABSTRACT

Sexual victimisation (SV) is pervasive in our society and is associated with a variety of negative outcomes. Sexual minority women (SMW) – particularly bisexuals – report higher rates of SV compared to heterosexual women, yet little is known about SMW’s post-SV outcomes. The present study sought to fill this gap using a mixed methods approach. A community sample of 246 women (88 lesbians, 84 bisexuals, 74 heterosexuals) completed questionnaires and interviews about SV and subsequent disclosure and coping patterns. SMW reported higher rates of childhood sexual abuse, but SV rates in adulthood were similar to heterosexuals. Qualitative interviews revealed insights into women’s SV incidents and the recovery process. Almost all the incidents involved male perpetrators. Of those who disclosed the assault (80%), most told friends (84%), romantic partners (30%), family members (31%), and/or therapists (30%). The most common reasons for non-disclosure were shame or minimising the seriousness of the incident. Four broad categories of coping behaviours emerged: avoidance, self-blame and disclosure decisions, awakening, and reaching out. Notably, few sexual identity differences in SV incidents or the recovery process were found. Understanding the impact of SV is critical to inform culturally competent clinical care that address the needs of diverse women.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual victimisation
• coping
• mixed methods
• sexual minority women
• bisexual
• lesbian

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice under Award No. 2014-VA-CX-0067 (PI Hequembourg). The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agency.

Notes on contributors

Amy L. Hequembourg

Amy L. Hequembourg, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Dr. Hequembourg received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University at Buffalo and completed a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in alcohol aetiology, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions. Her research focuses on health disparities among sexual and gender minorities with an emphasis on interpersonal violence (e.g., lifetime sexual victimisation, intimate partner violence) and sources of minority stress (e.g., microaggressions) among these populations. She has extensive experience using quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Justice and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Jessica A. Blayney

Jessica A. Blayney, Ph.D., is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington - School of Medicine. Jessica’s research focuses on understanding the socio-environmental contextual factors that contribute to sexual assault risk as well as variation in the post-assault adaptation process, including alcohol use, PTSD, and risky.

Jennifer A. Livingston

Jennifer A. Livingston, Ph.D., studies the developmental influences on adolescent health risk behaviour and well-being. In particular, she examines how family factors (i.e., parental substance use, family cohesion, intimate partner violence) and early victimisation experiences (i.e., child sexual abuse, peer victimisation and dating and sexual violence) contribute to adolescent substance use and sexual risk behaviour. Her research also focuses on sexual victimisation across the lifespan and the prevention of child sexual abuse and sexual assault of emerging adult women. She has extensive experience with quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research designs. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Justice, and the Committee for Children.

Wendy Bostwick

Wendy Bostwick, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Health Systems Science Department, College of Nursing, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her MPH and PhD in Community Health Sciences from UIC and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Michigan. Wendy conducts research related to health disparities among sexual and gender minority populations, with a focus on mental health and substance use among bisexual women. She has been engaged in women’s health activism, research and advocacy for over 20 years. Her research incorporates multiple methods including survey research, qualitative interviews, and electronic diaries. Her current work explores microaggressions are associated with race, gender, sexual orientation and their intersection may affect mental and physical health among bisexual women and men. Her work has been supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the American Institute on Bisexuality. Wendy serves on the Board of Directors of the Guttmacher Institute, Howard Brown Health Centre, located in Chicago, and is adjunct faculty at the Fenway Institute, in Boston, MA.

Samantha Auerbach

Samantha Auerbach, MSN, NP-C, is a Nurse Practitioner in sexual and reproductive health and a Ph.D. student at the University at Buffalo School of Nursing. Her research interests include sexual and reproductive health disparities, upstream determinants of sexual and contraceptive decision-making, and improving access to sexual and reproductive healthcare by exploring patient and provider experiences.