Bisexual Invisibility in Trauma: PTSD Symptomology, and MentalHealthcare Experiences Among Bisexual Women and Men versus Lesbians and Gay Men

Ovrebo, Elin; Brown, Emily L.; Emery, Hannah E.; Stenersen, Madeline; Schimmel‐Bristow, Allison; Steinruck, Ramah E.

doi:10.1080/15299716.2018.1458682

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Antibisexual stigma from mental health providers appears to negatively impact help-seeking intentions of bisexual adults (DeLucia & Smith, 2021). Notably, Ovrebo et al (2018) found that trauma-exposed bisexual women were less likely to seek mental health services than lesbian women were and less likely to disclose their sexual identity to providers. Thus, providers should not make assumptions about clients’ sexual orientation (e.g., based on partner gender) and practice affirmative care with all clients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sexual Victimization Outcomes and Adjustment Among Bisexual Women: A Review of the Quantitative Literature

Salim

McConnell

Messman

2022

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Bisexual women experience worse mental health outcomes than lesbian and heterosexual women, which may be explained by greater rates of sexual violence among bisexual women. The current comprehensive literature review aimed to synthesize research on mental health and substance use outcomes related to lifetime sexual violence among bisexual women. A comprehensive literature search was conducted within the PsycINFO and Medline databases (final search conducted in August, 2021). Inclusion criteria required articles to examine a mental health or substance use correlate/outcome of lifetime sexual victimization experiences among bisexual women. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Results indicate that there are significant gaps in this literature, including limited research on psychological distress outcomes. Most notably, there is a limited focus on the experiences of bisexual women specifically and the role of bisexual minority stress. Findings indicate that lifetime sexual victimization experiences are linked with increased posttraumatic stress, depression, and alcohol (and other substance) use and consequences. It appears that bisexual women are vulnerable to cumulative victimization, which may further exacerbate outcomes. Clinicians working with bisexual women should provide bisexual-affirmative care, help bisexual women access positive social supports, and build more effective coping strategies for managing post-trauma distress. Future research on outcomes of violence among bisexual women would benefit from contextualizing adjustment following sexual assault within a bisexual minority stress-informed approach for a more comprehensive understanding of this process.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sexual Victimization Outcomes and Adjustment Among Bisexual Women: A Review of the Quantitative Literature

Salim

McConnell

Messman

2022

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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“…Minority Stress Theory (Meyer, 2003) posits that the distal (or external) stressors of stigma and discrimination associated with being a person with a MSO is one factor that puts people at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. For adults with MSO, data supports that there are increased exposures to negative life events including hate crimes and violence (e.g., Balsam et al, 2005;Blondeel et al, 2018;Boynton et al, 2020;Flores et al, 2020;Grant et al, 2011;Herek, 2009;Tjaden et al, 1999) and higher rates of intimate partner violence (e.g., Goldberg & Meyer, 2013;Merrill & Wolfe, 2000;Miller et al, 2001;Ovrebo et al, 2018;Walters et al, 2013) and sexual assault (e.g., Brown & Herman, 2015;Flores et al, 2020;Messinger, 2011;Rothman et al, 2011), including childhood sexual assault (Andersen & Blosnich, 2013;Friedman et al, 2011;Zou & Andersen, 2015). Veterans with MSO also report experiencing multiple traumas during their military service including bias-related aggression (Livingston et al, 2019) and military sexual assault (Booth et al, 2011;Mattocks et al, 2013;Schuyler et al, 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating prevalence of PTSD among veterans with minoritized sexual orientations using electronic health record data.

Shipherd

Lynch

Gatsby

et al. 2021

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

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Objective: Questionnaire studies show people with minoritized sexual orientations (MSOs) face increased risk for conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study replicated Harrington et al.'s (2019) electronic health record probabilistic algorithm to evaluate lifetime PTSD prevalence in Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-using veterans. Method: In 115,853 MSO veterans and a 1:3 matched (on sex assigned at birth, and age at and year of first VHA visit) sample of non-MSO veterans. Each veteran was given a probability of "likely PTSD" (0.0-1.0) and thresholds (e.g., 0.7) applied to minimize false positive classifications. Results: Veterans with MSO were 2.35 times, CI [2.33, 2.38], more likely to have "likely PTSD" than veterans with non-MSO. The prevalence of "likely PTSD" using the rule-based International Classification of Diseases (ICD) approach was 40.8% among the MSO group compared to 22.0% among the non-MSO group after excluding those with bipolar or schizophrenia diagnoses and those with limited VHA engagement. Without those exclusions, prevalence was slightly higher in both groups (46.1% vs. 24.3%, respectively; prevalence ratio: 1.90). Despite increased prevalence of exposure to military sexual trauma (MST; MSO = 20.7%; non-MSO = 8.3%) and double "likely PTSD" among MSO veterans, they were less likely to have a service-connected PTSD disability than their matched non-MSO (MSO = 78.1%; non-MSO = 87.6%) comparators. Conclusions: VHA-using veterans with MSO were twice as likely to have "likely PTSD" and exposure to MST than veterans with non-MSO. Veterans with MSO were less likely to be service connected for PTSD than non-MSO counterparts.What is the public health significance of this article? Gay, lesbian, and bisexual veterans who use VA healthcare are more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and have had military sexual trauma than straight veterans who use VA healthcare. However, gay, lesbian, and bisexual veterans are less likely to get disability payments for PTSD than straight veterans.

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Probable PTSD, PTSD symptom severity, and comorbid PTSD and hazardous drinking among sexual minority women compared to heterosexual women: A meta-analysis

Scheer

Helminen

Cascalheira

et al. 2023

Clinical Psychology Review

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Bisexual Invisibility in Trauma: PTSD Symptomology, and MentalHealthcare Experiences Among Bisexual Women and Men versus Lesbians and Gay Men

Cited by 10 publications

References 39 publications

Sexual Victimization Outcomes and Adjustment Among Bisexual Women: A Review of the Quantitative Literature

Sexual Victimization Outcomes and Adjustment Among Bisexual Women: A Review of the Quantitative Literature

Estimating prevalence of PTSD among veterans with minoritized sexual orientations using electronic health record data.

Probable PTSD, PTSD symptom severity, and comorbid PTSD and hazardous drinking among sexual minority women compared to heterosexual women: A meta-analysis

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