Lesbian and Bisexual Women's Experiences of Victimization: Mental Health, Revictimization, and Sexual Identity Development

SUMMARY

The prevalence and correlates of a variety of victimization experiences among a large, ethnically diverse national sample of 2,431 lesbian, bisexual, and gay women (LBG) is examined. Most participants (62.3%) report experiencing bias related victimization because they are LBG. Overall, 30.8% of participants report being harshly beaten or physically abused in childhood and 21.2% in adulthood; 39.3% report sexual victimization before the age of sixteen and 36.2% at age sixteen or older. Each type of victimization was significantly related to current psychological distress, and the more types of victimization (sexual or physical, in childhood or adulthood) a participant experienced, the greater her psychological distress. Participants who were victimized in childhood were four times more likely to experience the same type of victimization (sexual or physical) as an adult and about twice as likely to experience the other type of victimization in adulthood. In addition, there were significant differences in history of victimization by race/ethnicity. Native American participants reported the highest rates followed by Latinas, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Whites.

Key Words:

• Trauma
• physical abuse
• sexual abuse
• lesbian
• bisexual
• women of color
• revictimization