Young Bisexual People’s Experiences of Sexual Violence: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Bisexual people are at an increased vulnerability for sexual victimization in comparison to heterosexual people, as well as gay and lesbian people. As the majority of first sexual violence experiences happen prior to age 25 for bisexual women, young bisexual people are particularly vulnerable. Despite consistent evidence of this health disparity, little is known about what factors might increase young bisexual people’s risk for sexual victimization, or how they access support post-victimization. The current study addresses this gap through a mixed-method investigation of young bisexual people’s experiences of sexual violence with a sample of 245 bisexual people age 18–25. Quantitative results indicate that bisexual stigma significantly predicts a greater likelihood of reporting an experience of sexual violence. Qualitative findings support that while not all participants felt bisexual stigma related to their experience of sexual violence, some felt negative bisexual stereotypes were substantial factors. Interview participants found connecting with other survivors, particularly LGBTQ + and bisexual survivors, to be beneficial. Some participants encountered barriers to accessing support, such as discrimination in schools. Sexual violence researchers should consider bisexual stigma as an important factor, and support services the potential positive impact of bisexual-specific survivor support.

Keywords:

• Bisexuality
• sexual violence
• bisexual stigma
• mixed-methods

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Corey E. Flanders

Corey E. Flanders, Ph.D. , is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education at Mount Holyoke College. Her research interests focus on issues of identity and health equity, particularly as they relate to the experiences of queer and trans people. She uses qualitative and quantitative approaches together with community-based research principles to understand how structural, community and individual factors like stigma and social support may impact people’s health and other lived experiences.

RaeAnn E. Anderson

RaeAnn E. Anderson (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2015) is currently an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Dakota. She completed her postdoctoral training at Kent State University. Her research interests are understanding basic behavioral processes in sexual victimization and sexual perpetration in order to inform sexual assault risk reduction and prevention programs, respectively.

Lesley A. Tarasoff

Lesley A. Tarasoff, PhD , is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health & Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where she leads the qualitative component of a NIH-funded project on the perinatal health of women with disabilities in Ontario. Primarily using qualitative methods, her research program focuses on the reproductive, perinatal, and mental health and health care experiences of marginalized groups, namely women with disabilities and sexual minority women.