The relationship between social group prejudice and vulnerability to sexual violence in bisexual women.

Abstract

Researchers have consistently found an increased vulnerability to sexual violence in bisexual women. Much like the broader literature around sexual violence against women, the limited research examining this vulnerability in bisexual women has focused on intraindividual victim factors such as alcohol use, mental health, and previous sexual assault victimization. Sexual violence researchers are expanding their purview to include sociocultural factors manifested in the immediate context of sexual violence perpetration and victimization. Adding to this expanding awareness of the importance of these factors, the current study explored the relationships between bisexual women's perceived experiences of dehumanization, hostile sexism, and biphobia in the social circle with which they spend the most time and their reported experience of sexual violence within the last year. Consistent with prior research indicating heightened vulnerability to sexual violence in bisexual women a substantial portion of participants (72.2%) reported experiencing sexual violence within the last year. Of those participants reporting experiences of sexual violence, most (93%) of those reporting sexual violence endorsing surviving rape. Hypotheses were partially supported, with peer hostile sexism, biphobia, and dehumanization of bisexual women significantly relating to sexual violence. When examined simultaneously, only peer hostile sexism and biphobia emerged as unique predictors of vulnerability to sexual violence. The current study adds to the literature supporting the need for increased focus on bisexual women's unique vulnerability to sexual violence, as well as the important and underexamined roles of sexism and biphobia as contributing factors to this vulnerability through peer-level processes and social norms. Public Significance StatementThis study adds to an expanding literature addressing sexual violence against bisexual women and associated risk factors in peer group environments. The results indicate that hostile sexism and biphobia in bisexual women's social environments may be related to the perpetration of sexual violence against bisexual women, identifying potential targets for prevention efforts. Recommendations for support professionals and additional research directions are also included. Research has shown that bisexual women face a distinctly high level of vulnerability to sexual violence (e.g., Balsam, 2003;Johnson & Grove, 2017;Sigurvinsdottir & Ulman, 2015). In a review of the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS; Walters et al., 2013), bisexual women reported rates of rape more than three times higher than rates reported by lesbian and heterosexual women, and rates of other lifetime sexual violence victimization (e.g., unwanted sexual contact, attempted rape) more than twice that of lesbian and heterosexual women. Recent lines of research have emerged from these findings with a significant focus on individual-level victim factors such as substance use, previous sexual victimization, and bi...

Threat of harm beliefs mediate the link between binegativity and sexual assault-related PTSD among cisgender bisexual women.

“…Cisgender bisexual women’s experiences of sexual violence based on intersecting identities as women and bisexual are shaped by systems of privilege and oppression (Bowleg, 2012; Crenshaw, 1989), including sexism, heterosexism, and monosexism, as well as the specific manifestations of antibisexual stigma, which influence vulnerability to sexual violence (Flanders et al, 2021; Grove & Johnson, 2022) and to negative outcomes in the aftermath (Johnson & Grove, 2017; Salim et al, 2021). Thus, future research on bisexual people’s health outcomes in relation to victimization and minority stress should aim to recruit more diverse samples as systems of power and privilege leave those with marginalized identities most at risk for sexual violence (McCauley et al, 2019).…”

Preventing sexual violence in sexual orientation and gender diverse communities: A call to action

“…At the relationships level, general vulnerability factors such as sexual encounters involving substance or alcohol use (Flack et al, 2015 ; Tyler et al, 2017 ), and affiliation with deviant peer groups (Bhochhibhoya et al, 2021 ), have been associated with increased risk for violence among SOGD. Group-specific factors at the relationship level have also been identified including discordance in outness (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ), and experiencing social prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation (Grove & Johnson, 2022 ). For instance, results from a cross-sectional study conducted among 133 bisexual women found that women experiencing hostile sexism or biphobia from their peers were more likely to report prior sexual victimization (Grove & Johnson, 2022 ).…”

“…Group-specific factors at the relationship level have also been identified including discordance in outness (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ), and experiencing social prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation (Grove & Johnson, 2022 ). For instance, results from a cross-sectional study conducted among 133 bisexual women found that women experiencing hostile sexism or biphobia from their peers were more likely to report prior sexual victimization (Grove & Johnson, 2022 ). Some relationships risk factors which are general might be especially elevated among specific SOGD groups.…”

Suicidal thoughts among young bisexual women: Sexual violence, minority stress, and interpersonal factors.

“…The second category includes stereotypes of bisexual people as sexually irresponsible and hypersexual. Bisexual women are highly eroticized and sexually objectified due to sexual irresponsibility stereotypes (Serpe et al, 2020) and this unique sexual stigma heightens the risk for SV (Grove & Johnson, 2023). Sexual stigma and SV are interrelated factors explaining mental health disparities among bisexual women (Flanders et al, 2023).…”

“…Chen et al, 2020). Not only is SV alarmingly common for bisexual women; it is also intertwined with bisexual minority stress (Grove & Johnson, 2023). Given the sexual objectification and hypersexuality stereotypes experienced by bisexual women, we hypothesized that SV may relate to internal minority stress.…”