Sexual problems and sexual scripts: overview and future directions for bisexual-identified individuals

ABSTRACT

The objective of this paper was to conduct an overview of the existing literature on sexual problems and relational factors in self-identified bisexual individuals. Given the limited research including self-identified bisexuals, this paper provides an overview of the sexuality literature on same-gender and mixed-gender relationships to highlight areas where additional research with self-identified bisexual individuals is needed. Identified gaps in the literature include prevalence information on sexual problems, and information on sexual scripts, sexual communication, and partner responses across diverse sexual orientations. Considerations for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Bisexuality
• relational factors
• sexual problems

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Notes

1. Monosexual is a term that is typically used to describe individuals who identify as heterosexual, lesbian, or gay. We recognize that language and identities are diverse, complex, and individualized. For example, individuals may self-identify with a label in a way that is different from how others would self-identify (e.g. some exclusively same-gender-oriented women identify as queer rather than lesbian). As we do not want to mislabel individuals from the reviewed papers, we have opted to use the terms same-gender- and other-gender-oriented monosexual throughout.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the American Institute of Bisexuality [36117].

Notes on contributors

S. Gauvin

Stéphanie Gauvin is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student under the supervision of Dr Caroline Pukall in the Sexual Health Research Laboratory (SexLab) at Queen's University. Stéphanie's research focuses on how couples negotiate and navigate sexual challenges, with a focus on how sexual script flexibility is related to sexual well-being.

C. F. Pukall

Dr Caroline Pukall received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from McGill University. She is currently Full Professor in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Sexual Health Research Laboratory (SexLab), and the Director of the Sex Therapy Service at the Psychology Clinic at Queen's University.