The Cost of Visibility: Minority Stress, Sexual Assault, and Traumatic Stress among Bisexual Women and Gender Expansive People

Abstract

Utilizing minority stress framework, this study assessed a model examining the mechanisms associated with bisexual women’s and gender expansive peoples’ experiences of sexual assault and PTSD symptoms. A total of 378 bisexual women and gender expansive people participated in this study, with the majority of participants identifying as White, cisgender women. Findings revealed that higher levels of outness were positively associated with more frequent anti-bisexual discrimination. In addition, anti-bisexual discrimination and sexual assault were significantly positively related to greater PTSD symptoms. Anti-bisexual discrimination was uniquely positively associated with more frequent experiences of sexual assault, and outness was indirectly related to sexual assault through anti-bisexual discrimination. Moreover, anti-bisexual discrimination was indirectly related to PTSD symptoms through sexual assault. Suggestions for future research and practice implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• Bisexual
• LGBTQ+
• sexual minority
• women
• minority stress
• sexual assault
• trauma
• PTSD

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Public significance statement

The findings of this study revealed that higher levels of bisexual identity outness is positively related to anti-bisexual discrimination, and anti-bisexual discrimination is related to more sexual assault experiences and PTSD symptoms.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Dalee Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Laurel B. Watson

Laurel B. Watson is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Laurel Watson’s research interests include topics affect sexual minority populations, gender diversity, intersectionality, minority stress, and trauma.