How deep is the cut? The influence of daily microaggressions on bisexual women’s health.

Abstract

Bisexual women experience disproportionately poorer health outcomes in comparison to lesbian and gay groups and the general population, including inequities related to mental and physical health. Although bisexual-specific health inequities are increasingly well-documented, research examining putative causes of such inequities, as well as research that accounts for differences within bisexual populations-particularly among racial minorities-remains limited. To address these gaps, this article reports findings from the Women's Daily Experiences Study (WoDES), a multimethod study that explored the relationship between microaggressions and health outcomes among racially/ethnically diverse cisgender, bisexual women in Chicago. Data from 28 daily e-diaries (N = 2,104 observations; 99 participants, 57% women of color) were analyzed using multilevel modeling to (a) measure the frequency of microaggressions among bisexual women; (b) examine the influence of sexual orientation, racial, and gender microaggressions on mental and physical health; and (c) investigate how race influences relationships between microaggressions and health. Participants reported an average of 8.1 microaggressions in the previous 28 days, and at least one microaggression was reported for more than 42% of days (n = 802). Microaggressions of any type were associated with increased same-day negative affect and somatic complaints. Latina bisexual women experienced worse health outcomes in comparison to Black bisexual women. This study demonstrated the detrimental impact of microaggressions on the health of bisexual women and highlights the critical need for strategies on broader structural changes that could improve the health and well-being of bisexual women. Public Significance StatementMicroaggressions are common among bisexual women and are associated with increased negative affect and somatic complaints. Effective strategies are needed to educate the public on the detrimental impact of microaggression on physical and mental health, as are programs that work to reduce the perpetration of such slights.

Intersectional microaggressions, mental health outcomes, and the role of social support among Black LGB adults.

“…Based on demographic information obtained from participants, the sample was composed predominantly of individuals identifying as bisexual and women-identified. Given the previous research that suggests bisexual individuals and sexual minority women face a myriad of specific sexual orientation and gender-based microaggressions that differ from that of their gay and lesbian counterparts (Israel, 2018;Sarno & Wright, 2013) and sexual minority men (Li et al, 2017;Smith et al, 2022), this may limit the generalizability of the findings to these populations within the Black LGB community. Last, our study did not account for the temporality related to the experiences of microaggressions.…”

Prospective examination of mechanisms linking minority stress and anxious/depressed affect at the event level: The roles of emotion regulation strategies and proximal minority stressors.

“…These studies have predominately demonstrated concurrent associations between experiencing enacted sexual minority stigma and elevated levels of anxious/depressed affect on the same day (Livingston et al, 2020; Mereish et al, 2021; Mohr & Sarno, 2016). Other studies have demonstrated that bisexual-specific enacted stigma and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) enacted stigma are concurrently associated with elevated anxious/depressed affect on the same-day (Feinstein et al, 2022; Flanders, 2015; Salim et al, 2019; Smith et al, 2022). To date, daily diary studies have found mixed evidence that minority stress prospectively predicts increases in anxious/depressed affect that persist into the next day.…”

Teen dating violence interventions for sexual minority youth: A scoping review

“…The minority stress (Meyer, 2001) provides a lens to address the unique experiences of SMY that accounts for the multifaceted experiences of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Given that each proximal stressor in uences one's interpersonal relationships and mental health (Smith et al, 2022;Bostwick et al, 2021), it is critical for future interventions to clearly de ne concepts of identity concealment, expectations of rejection, internalized homophobia, internalized biphobia, or internalized transphobia, and intersectionality (Smith, Reidy, Norris, 2020;Smith & Reidy, 2021). A clear de nition will enable youth to better understand their lived experiences and identify effective ways of communicating and help-seeking.…”