A social ecological approach to understanding correlates of lifetime sexual assault among sexual minority women in Toronto, Canada: results from a cross-sectional internet-based survey

Abstract

Stigma, discrimination and violence contribute to health disparities among sexual minorities. Lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women experience sexual violence at similar or higher rates than heterosexual women. Most research with LBQ women, however, has focused on measuring prevalence of sexual violence rather than its association with health outcomes, individual, social and structural factors. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with LBQ women in Toronto, Canada. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess correlates of lifetime sexual assault (LSA). Almost half (42%) of participants (n = 415) reported experiences of LSA. Participants identifying as queer were more likely to have experienced LSA than those identifying as lesbian. When controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, experiencing LSA was associated with higher rates of depression, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), receiving an STI test, belief that healthcare providers were not comfortable with their LBQ sexual orientation, and sexual stigma (overall, perceived and enacted). A history of sexual violence was associated with lower: self-rated health, overall social support, family social support and self-esteem. This research highlights the salience of a social ecological framework to inform interventions for health promotion among LBQ women and to challenge sexual stigma and sexual violence.

Research on alcohol and other drug (AOD) use among sexual minority women: A global scoping review

“…It calls attention to the connection between individual lives and the historical and socioeconomic context in which those lives unfold. Similarly, a social ecology conceptual framework incorporates multi-level domains associated with health among SMW [169]. It facilitates the examination of multi-level-structural, social, individual-factors associated with health outcomes that can guide the development of preventive strategies and health promotion interventions.…”

Military Sexual Assault in Transgender Veterans: Results From a Nationwide Survey

“…For example, this interrelatedness between minority stressors and experiences of violence was shown in a survey of lesbian and bisexual women by Balsam and Szymanski (2005), in which minority stress was associated with domestic violence victimization and perpetration, and in another study of lesbian women and gay men by Carvalho, Lewis, Derlega, Winstead, and Viggiano (2011), in which victims of interpersonal violence reported greater expectations of prejudice and discrimination. Additionally, a survey of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women in Toronto found that minority stressors were associated with experiences of sexual violence (Logie, Alaggia, & Rwigema, 2014). …”

The Safety of Women and Girls in Educational Settings: A Global Overview and Suggestions for Policy Change

“…Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of women in rural Peru, 28 per cent in Tanzania, 30 per cent in rural Bangladesh and 40 per cent in South Africa reported their first sexual experiences as not being consensual (Fontes & McCloskey 2011: 154). Logie, Alaggia and Rwigema (2014) found that LGBT+ survivors of sexual violence experience increased risks of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low self-esteem and self-rated health and low levels of social and familial support. Survivors and victims of GBV exhibit numerous negative health outcomes, including depression, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, PTSD, self-harming behaviours, substance abuse, dissociation, eating disorders, sleep disorders and suicide (RAINN 2019; WHO 2017).…”