Microaggressions and Health Outcomes among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Bisexual Women

Abstract

This study assessed the relationship between microaggressions and health outcomes among bisexual women. Participants came from the Women’s Daily Experiences Study, a mixed method study of bisexual women recruited in Chicago (N = 112). Using cross-sectional data, we tested bivariate and multivariate associations of lifetime and past year sexual orientation microaggressions with depression, anxiety, self-assessed mental and physical health, and substance use. We also tested relationships between intersectional microaggressions, related to racial and sexual minority identities, and health outcomes among a sub-sample of women of color (n = 64). The majority of participants reported experiences of microaggressions in their lifetime and in the past year. Multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between lifetime and past year sexual orientation microaggressions, mental health and substance use. Among bisexual women of color, intersectional microaggressions were significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and poorer self-assessed mental health. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Keywords:

• Microaggressions
• bisexual women
• mental health

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Bria Berger and Alana Steffen for their assistance on earlier versions of this manuscript. We are also thankful to all the women who participated in this study, helping to make our research possible.

Disclosure statement

Authors have no financial conflict of interest.

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21MD009585. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wendy B. Bostwick

Wendy B. Bostwick, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, Population Health Nursing Science. Dr. Bostwick conducts research related to health disparities among sexual and gender minority populations, with a focus on mental health and substance use among bisexual populations.

Ariel U. Smith

Ariel U. Smith, PhD, RN Postdoctoral Research University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, Population Health Nursing Science. Dr. Smith conducts research relating to dating violence and suicide prevention among sexual and gender minorities populations.

Amy L. Hequembourg

Amy L. Hequembourg, PhD Associate Professor, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Nursing. Dr. Hequembourg’s research focuses on developing culturally informed interventions to reduce health disparities and associated risk behaviors among sexual minorities.

Alecia Santuzzi

Alecia Santuzzi, PhD Professor, Northern Illinois University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology. Dr. Santuzzi’s work focuses on disability and ableism in the workplace; decisions about disclosing stigmatizing information at work; and how feeling evaluated affects metaperceptions technology-mediated social interactions.

Tonda Hughes

Tonda L. Hughes, PhD, RN, FAAN Professor and Associate Dean, Columbia University, School of Nursing and Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Hughes has a distinguished career in substance abuse research focusing on women’s mental health and is an internationally recognized expert in sexual minority (lesbian and bisexual) women’s health.