Positive Identity Experiences of Young Bisexual and Other Nonmonosexual People: A Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

The majority of LGBTQ psychological research focuses on dysfunction. The exclusion of strengths-based perspectives in LGBTQ psychology limits the understanding of LGBTQ mental health. In this article we report experiences that young bisexual and other nonmonosexual people perceive as affirming of their sexual identity. A 28-day, daily diary study was used to investigate whether bisexual-identified participants encountered positive experiences related to their sexual identity, and which type of experiences they perceived to be positive. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, participants' experiences were organized according to a social ecological model. Experiences were reported at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional levels, but most positive sexual identity experiences occurred at the interpersonal level. Implications for positive health outcome research and the integration of positive psychology with LGBTQ psychology are discussed, as well as study limitations.

Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Bisexual People Compared to Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Individuals:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In Flanders, Tarasoff, and colleagues' (2017) daily diary study of positive identity experiences among young bisexual people, they found that some participants categorized a lack of negative response or a neutral response to their bisexuality from others as a positive identity experience. As Flanders, Tarasoff, et al (2017) argued, interpreting the absence of negative or neutral response as positive "says a great deal about the prevalence of biphobia and monosexism" in society (p. 1027).…”

“…Further, it is important to emphasize that across studies the majority of bisexual people do not report depression, anxiety, or other negative health outcomes. Although it is beyond the scope of the current article to review in depth, we want to acknowledge the value of research, particularly in the area of positive psychology, that has begun to characterize the positive aspects of bisexual identity and experience (e.g., Flanders, Tarasoff, Legge, Robinson, & Gos, 2017;Rostosky, Riggle, Pascale-Hague, & McCants, 2010), as well as sites of bisexual terms (e.g., man, woman), and considering that almost none of the populationbased surveys included in this review included questions about gender identity, it is impossible to determine whether respondents identified themselves on the basis of their gender or of their sex. Considering all of these ambiguities, together with the reality that human experiences of gender and sex are deeply intertwined with each other (van Anders, 2015), we use the term gender/sex throughout the article, with the exception of places where we are explicitly referring to socially determined gender identities independent of biological sex characteristics (i.e., transgender or cisgender identities).…”

Monosexual and nonmonosexual women in same-sex couples’ relationship quality during the first five years of parenthood

“…We acknowledge that recent scholarship has noted problematic aspects of the terms monosexual and nonmonosexual, whereby monosexuality is centered and nonmonosexuality is defined in opposition to/against monosexual (Flanders, 2017; Galupo, Mitchell, & Davis, 2015) and we note the existence of useful alternative terms to nonmonosexual, such as plurisexual (Galupo et al, 2015; Mitchell, Davis, & Galupo, 2015). We also acknowledge that nonmonosexual women themselves did not use this term to describe their sexual identities; however, within the larger category of nonmonosexual, specific sexual identities (e.g., bisexual, queer) were not endorsed by all women.…”

“…Several factors influenced our decisions to group participants as monosexual versus nonmonosexual. First, these terms are among the mostly widely utilized by scholars and practitioners (e.g., see Dyar, Feinstein, Schick, & Davila, 2017; Flanders, Tarasoff, Legge, Robinson, & Gos, 2017; Persson, Pfaus, & Ryder, 2015). Second, prior research has documented important distinctions in the experiences and outcomes of monosexual and nonmonosexual women (e.g., Persson et al, 2015), likely in part because of the unique stigmas that individuals with non-exclusive sexualities encounter in society at large and in their interpersonal relationships specifically (Flanders et al, 2016).…”

The Importance of Social Support, Positive Identity, and Resilience in the Successful Aging of Older Sexual Minority Men

“…A study by Bruce et al [27] with sexual minority youth found that the stigma and stress of concealing their sexual identity were related to the later development of a positive identity, suggesting that these adversities may have served as positive resources for this developmental task. Positive identity has also been associated with better physical and mental health outcomes [6,7,28,29]; greater social contacts with family, friends, intimate partners, and the LGBT community; activism for social justice; self-awareness; authenticity; and self-intimacy [30][31][32]. In Portugal, OSMM who had a more positive gay/bisexual identity and stronger characteristics common to aging were the ones who felt most comfortable with themselves [33].…”