Mediating Factors Explaining the Association Between Sexual Minority Status and Dating Violence

Abstract

Dating violence presents a serious threat for individual health and well-being. A growing body of literature suggests that starting in adolescence, individuals with sexual minority identities (e.g., individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual) may be at an increased risk for dating violence compared with heterosexuals. Research has not, however, identified the mechanisms that explain this vulnerability. Using a diverse sample of young adults ( n = 2,474), the current study explored how minority stress theory, revictimization theory, sex of sexual partners, and risky sexual behavior explained differences in dating violence between sexual minority and heterosexual young adults. Initial analyses suggested higher rates of dating violence among individuals who identified as bisexual, and individuals who identified as gay or lesbian when compared with heterosexuals, and further found that these associations failed to differ across gender. When mediating and control variables were included in the analyses, however, the association between both sexual minority identities and higher levels of dating violence became nonsignificant. Of particular interest was the role of discrimination, which mediated the association between bisexual identity and dating violence. Other factors, including sex and number of sexual partners, alcohol use, and childhood maltreatment, were associated with higher rates of dating violence but did not significantly explain vulnerability among sexual minority individuals compared with their heterosexual peers. These findings suggest the importance of minority stress theory in explaining vulnerability to dating violence victimization among bisexuals in particular, and generally support the importance of sexual-minority specific variables in understanding risk for dating violence within this vulnerable population.

Young Bisexual People’s Experiences of Sexual Violence: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…This form of stigma relates to the negative ideas others hold about bisexual people, rather than bisexual people's internalization of these ideas. This finding is consistent with other research that has found bisexual stigma perpetuated by gay and lesbian people as well as heterosexual people is related to increased reports of sexual violence among bisexual women , and that discrimination mediates the relationship between bisexual identity and increased rates of dating violence among young adults (Martin-Storey & Fromme, 2017).…”

Différences en matière de santé mentale selon le statut de minorité sexuelle

“…En effet, des recherches antérieures suggèrent que les personnes « bisexuelles » et « principalement hétérosexuelles » éprouvent des facteurs de stress uniques par rapport à leurs homologues « homosexuelles » (Persson et coll., 2015 ;Petterson et coll., 2017 ;Talley et coll., 2016). En effet, les personnes « bisexuelles » indiquent des niveaux plus élevés de discrimination et éprouvent le rejet, à la fois, de certaines communautés de minorités sexuelles et des communautés hétérosexuelles (Martin-Storey et Fromme, 2017 ;Saewyc et coll., 2009). Ces expériences, à leur tour, peuvent expliquer leur plus grande vulnérabilité en matière de santé mentale.…”

Testing a Model of Binegativity, Drinking-to-Cope Motives, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Coercion Among Self-Identified Bisexual Women

“…Therefore, binegativity may elicit drinking to cope motives which may result in greater alcohol problems. In a seminal study of lesbian and bisexual women, discrimination mediated the relationship between sexual minority status (lesbian or bisexual) and dating violence for bisexual women; however, alcohol use was not a significant mediator (Martin-Story & Fromme, 2017). The association between discrimination and dating violence was not significant for lesbian women.…”