Open AccessSexual Minority Stress and Social Support Explain the Association between Sexual Identity with Physical and Mental Health Problems among Young Lesbian and Bisexual Women
Author(s) -
Sarah Ehlke,
Abby L. Braitman,
Charlotte A. Dawson,
Kristin E. Heron,
Robin J. Lewis
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sex roles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.509
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1573-2762
pISSN - 0360-0025
DOI - 10.1007/s11199-019-01117-w
Subject(s) - lesbian , sexual minority , mental health , psychology , sexual orientation , social support , sexual identity , minority stress , clinical psychology , mediation , human sexuality , social psychology , psychiatry , gender studies , sociology , social science , psychoanalysis
Bisexual women report more physical and psychological health problems than lesbian women do, which may be attributed to greater sexual minority stress and less social support. However, many studies combine lesbian and bisexual women into a single group. The current study examined if sexual minority stress and social support mediated the association between women's sexual identity (lesbian or bisexual) and health-related outcomes. A total of 650 U.S. young adult lesbian ( n = 227) and bisexual ( n = 423) women completed an online survey about sexual minority stress, social support, and physical and mental health problems. Bisexual women reported more physical and mental health problems. A sequential mediation model showed that bisexual women reported greater sexual minority stress than lesbian women, which in turn was associated with less social support, which was associated with more physical and mental health problems. Greater sexual minority stress and lower social support may help explain why bisexual women report more health-related problems than lesbian women. The results of the present study support the importance of examining risk and protective factors for health problems separately for lesbian and bisexual women. Health-related intervention programs that target sexual minority women may need to be tailored differently for lesbian and bisexual women.