la Roi, C;
Meyer, IH;
Frost, DM;
(2019)
Differences in sexual identity dimensions between bisexual and other sexual minority individuals: Implications for minority stress and mental health.
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
, 89
(1)
pp. 40-51.
10.1037/ort0000369.
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Abstract
Bisexual individuals experience poorer mental health than other sexual minority individuals. One explanation for this is that biphobia predisposes bisexual individuals to have a more ambiguous sexual identity and fewer opportunities for stress-ameliorating forms of coping and support. This study explores sexual identity and sexual identity dimensions - prominence, valence, integration, and complexity - in bisexual and other sexual minority individuals. We describe differences in sexual identity dimensions between bisexual and other sexual minority individuals and test two explanations for mental health disparities between them: whether sexual identity dimensions directly impact mental health and whether they moderate the impact of stress on mental health. Data came from a longitudinal study of a diverse sample of sexual minority individuals (N = 396, 71 bisexual respondents) sampled from community venues in New York City. Sexual identity was prominent for both bisexual and other sexual minority individuals, but bisexual individuals reported lower valence and integration of sexual identity in their identity structures. The hypothesis that sexual identity dimensions moderate the impact of minority stress on mental health was not supported. After several longitudinal assessments, however, we concluded that identity valence (but not integration or complexity) and depressive symptoms were bidirectionally associated so that differences in valence between bisexual and other sexual minority individuals explained, in part, disparities in depressive symptoms.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Differences in sexual identity dimensions between bisexual and other sexual minority individuals: Implications for minority stress and mental health |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1037/ort0000369 |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000369 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10070305 |
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