The purpose of this study was to explore the link between bisexual women’s experiences of anti-bisexual discrimination and disordered eating, while examining potential mediating variables underlying this link: outness/identity concealment and maladaptive coping (i.e., coping via internalization, detachment, and drug and alcohol use). A total of 353 bisexual women participated in this study. The relationship between outness and disordered eating was not significant. Higher levels of anti-bisexual discrimination were related to more disordered eating behaviors, and this relationship was mediated by coping via internalization. However, anti-bisexual discrimination was directly related to more coping via detachment and drug and alcohol use. Findings from the study suggest that attending to bisexual women’s experiences of discrimination in counseling is particularly important. Moreover, assisting bisexual women in resisting internalization of discriminatory experiences may be a potential point of intervention for mental health professionals working with bisexual women experiencing disordered eating.
Augustus-HorvathC. L.TylkaT. L. (2009). A test and extension of objectification as it predicts disordered eating: Does women’s age matter?Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56, 253-265. doi:10.1037/a0014637
2.
BalsamK. F.MohrJ. J. (2007). Adaptation to sexual orientation stigma: A comparison of bisexual and lesbian/gay adults. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 306-319. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.54.3.306
3.
BandermannK. M.SzymanskiD. M. (2014). Exploring coping mediators between heterosexist oppression and posttraumatic stress symptoms among lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1, 213-224. doi:10.1037/sgd0000044
BrewsterM. E.MoradiB. (2010). Perceived experiences of anti-bisexual prejudice: Instrument development and evaluation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 451-468. doi:10.1037/a0021116
6.
BrewsterM. E.MoradiB.DeBlaereC.VelezB. L. (2013). Navigating the borderlands: The roles of minority stressors, bicultural self-efficacy, and cognitive flexibility in the mental health of bisexual individuals. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 543-556. doi:10.1037/a0033224
7.
BrewsterM. E.VelezB. L.EspositoJ. W.GeigerS.KeumE.TaeHyukB. (2014). Moving beyond the binary with disordered eating research: A test and extension of objectification theory with bisexual women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61, 50-62. doi:10.1037/a0034748
8.
CarrE. R.SzymanskiD. M.TahaF.WestL. M.KaslowN. J. (2014). Understanding the link between multiple oppressions and depression among African American women: The role of internalization. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 38, 233-245. doi:10.1177/0361684313499900
9.
ClarkR.AndersonN. B.ClarkV. R.WilliamsD. R. (1999). Racism as a stressor for African Americans: A biopsychosocial model. American Psychologist, 54, 805-816.
10.
CohenJ. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155-159. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155
11.
CrowS. J.PetersonC. B.SwansonS. A.RaymondN. C.SpeckerS.EckertE. D.MitchellJ. E. (2009). Increased mortality in bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 1342-1346. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09020247
12.
DeBlaereC.BrewsterM. E.BertschK. N.DeCarloA. L.KegelK. A.PresseauC. D. (2014). The protective power of collective action for sexual minority women of color: An investigation of multiple discrimination experiences and psychological distress. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 38, 20-32. doi:10.1037/t002253-000
13.
DennardE. E.RichardsC. S. (2013). Depression and coping in subthreshold eating disorders. Eating Behaviors, 14, 325-329. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.05.011
14.
DewaeleA.Van HoutteM.VinckeJ. (2014). Visibility and coping with minority stress: A gender-specific analysis among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals in Flanders. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43, 1601-1614. doi:10.1007/s10508-014-0380-5
15.
DyarC.FeinsteinB. A.LondonB. (2014). Dimensions of sexual identity and minority stress among bisexual women: The role of partner gender. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1, 441-451. doi:10.1037/sgd0000063
16.
DyarC.FeinsteinB. A.LondonB. (2015). Mediators of differences between lesbians and bisexual women in sexual identity and minority stress. Psychology of Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity, 2, 43-51. doi:10.1037/sgd0000090
17.
EliasonM. J. (1997). The prevalence and nature of biphobia in heterosexual undergraduate students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26, 317-326. doi:10.1023/A:1024527032040
18.
FeldmanM. B.MeyerI. H. (2007). Eating disorders in diverse lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, 218-226. doi:10.1002/eat.20360
19.
FeldmanS. E.WrightA. J. (2013). Dual impact: LGB identity formation on mental health. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 25, 443-464. doi:10.1080/10538720.2013.833066
20.
FieldA. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (4th ed.). London, UK: Sage.
21.
FolkmanS.LazarusR. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 219-239. doi:10.2307/2136617
22.
FrazierP. A.TixA. P.BarronK. E. (2004). Testing moderator and mediator effects in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 115-134. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.51.1.115
23.
GalupoM. P.MitchellR. C.DavisK. S. (2015). Sexual minority self-identification: Multiple identities and complexity. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2, 355-364. doi:10.1037/sgd0000131
24.
GalupoM. P.MitchellR. C.GrynkiewiczA. L.DavisK. S. (2014). Sexual minority reflections on the Kinsey Scale and the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid: Conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Bisexuality, 14, 404-432. doi:10.1080/15299716.2014.929553
25.
GarnerD. M.OlmstedM. P.BohrY.GarfinkelP. E. (1982). The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine, 12, 871-878. doi:10.1017/S0033291700049163
26.
HarrellZ. A. T.JacksonB. (2008). Thinking fat and feeling blue: Eating behaviors, ruminative coping, and depressive symptoms in college women. Sex Roles, 58, 658-665. doi:10.1007/s11199-007-9388-9
27.
HatzenbuehlerM. L. (2009). How does sexual minority stigma “get under the skin”? A psychological mediation framework. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 707-730. doi:10.1037/a0016441
28.
HerekG. M. (2002). Heterosexuals’ attitudes toward bisexual men and women in the United States. Journal of Sex Research, 39, 264-274. doi:10.1080/00224490209552150
29.
HudsonJ. I.HiripiE.PopeH. G.KesslerR. C. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61, 348-358. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.040
30.
HuxleyC. J.HalliwellE.ClarkeV. (2015). An examination of the tripartite influence model of body image: Does women’s sexual identity make a difference?Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39, 337-348. doi:10.1177/0361684314554917
31.
IsraelT.MohrJ. J. (2004). Attitudes toward bisexual women and men: Current research, future directions. Journal of Bisexuality, 4, 117-134. doi:10.1300/J159v04n01_09
32.
KaysenD. L.KuleszaM.BalsamK. F.RhewI. C.BlayneyJ. A.LehavotK.HughesT. L. (2014). Coping as a mediator of internalized homophobia and psychological distress among young adult sexual minority women. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1, 225-233. doi:10.1037/sgd0000045
33.
KlesseC. (2011). Shady characters, untrustworthy partners, and promiscuous sluts: Creating bisexual intimacies in the face of heteronormativity and biphobia. Journal of Bisexuality, 11, 227-244. doi:10.1080/15299716.2011.571987
34.
KohA. S.RossL. K. (2006). Mental health issues: A comparison of lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual women. Journal of Homosexuality, 51, 33-57. doi:10.1300/J082v51n01_03
35.
Leleux-LabargeK.HattonA. T.GoodnightB. L.MasudaA. (2015). Psychological distress in sexual minorities: Examining the roles of self-concealment and psychological inflexibility. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 19, 40-54. doi:10.1080/19359705.2014.944738
36.
MallinckrodtB.AbrahamW. T.WeiM.RussellD. W. (2006). Advances in testing the statistical significance of mediation effects. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 372-378. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.372
37.
MalochJ. K.BieschkeK. J.McAleaveyA. A.LockeB. D. (2013). Eating concerns in college women across sexual orientation identities. Journal of College Counseling, 16, 275-288. doi:10.1002/j.2161-1882.2013.00042.x
38.
MasonT. B.LewisR. J. (2015). Minority stress and binge eating among lesbian and bisexual women. Journal of Homosexuality, 62, 971-992. doi:10.1080/00918369.2015.1008285
39.
MereishE. H.O’CleirighC.BradfordJ. B. (2014). Interrelationships between LGBT-based victimization, suicide, and substance use problems in a diverse sample of sexual and gender minorities. Psychology, Health, & Medicine, 19, 1-13. doi:10.1080/13548506.2013.780129
40.
MeyerI. H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 38-56. doi:10.2307/2137286
41.
MeyerI. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 674-697. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674
42.
MitchellR. C.DavisK. S.GalupoM. P. (2015). Comparing perceived experiences of prejudice among self-identified plurisexual individuals. Psychology & Sexuality, 6, 245-257. doi:10.1080/19419899.2014.940372
43.
MohrJ.FassingerR. (2000). Measuring dimensions of lesbian and gay male experience. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 33, 66-90.
44.
MoradiB.HuangY. (2008). Objectification theory and psychology of women: A decade of advances and future directions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32, 377-398. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00452.x
45.
MoradiB.WisemanM. C.DeBlaereC.GoodmanM. B.SarkeesA.BrewsterM. E.HuangP. (2010). LGB of color and White individuals’ perceptions of heterosexist stigma, internalized homophobia, and outness: Comparisons of levels and links. The Counseling Psychologist, 38, 397-424. doi:10.1177/0011000009335263
46.
MorrisJ. F.WaldoC. R.RothblumE. D. (2001). A model of predictors and outcomes of outness among lesbian and bisexual women. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 71, 61-71. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.71.1.61
47.
MuthénB. O.MuthénL. K. (2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
NgamakeS. T.WalchS. E.RaveepatarakulJ. (2014). Validation of the coping with discrimination scale in sexual minorities. Journal of Homosexuality, 61, 1003-1024. doi:10.1080/00918369.2014.870849
51.
NoordenbosG.OldenhaveA.MuschterJ.TerpstraN. (2002). Characteristics and treatment of patients with chronic eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10, 15-29. doi:10.1080/106402602753573531
52.
OchsR. (1996). Biphobia: It goes more than two ways. In FiresteinB. A. (Ed.), Bisexuality: The psychology and politics of an invisible minority (pp. 217-239). London, UK: Sage.
53.
PiranN.RobinsonS. R. (2011). Patterns of associations between eating disordered behaviors and substance use in two non-clinical samples: A university and community based sample. Journal of Health Psychology, 16, 1027-1037. doi:10.1177/1359105311398681
54.
RobertsT. S.HorneS. G.HoytW. T. (2015). Between a gay and a straight place: Bisexual individuals’ experiences with monosexism. Journal of Bisexuality, 15, 554-569. doi:10.1080/15299716.2015.1111183
55.
RostoskyS. S.RiggleE. D.Pascale-HagueD.McCantsL. E. (2010). The positive aspects of a bisexual self-identification. Psychology & Sexuality, 1, 131-144.
56.
SwankE.FahsB.FrostD. M. (2013). Region, social identities, and disclosure practices as predictors of heterosexist discrimination against sexual minorities in the United States. Sociological Inquiry, 83, 238-258. doi:10.1111/soin.12004
57.
SzymanskiD. M.DunnT. L.IkizlerA. S. (2014). Multiple minority stressors and psychological distress among sexual minority women: The roles of ruminating and maladaptive coping. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1, 412-421. doi:10.1037/sgd0000066
58.
SzymanskiD. M.FeltmanC. E. (2014). Experiencing and coping with sexually objectifying treatment: Internalization and resilience. Sex Roles, 71, 159-170. doi:10.1007/s11199-014-0392-6
59.
SzymanskiD. M.MoffittL. B.CarrE. R. (2011). Sexual objectification of women: Advances to theory and research. The Counseling Psychologist, 39, 6-38. doi:10.1177/0011000010378402
60.
TabachnickB. G.FidellL. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
61.
VelezB. L.MoradiB.BrewsterM. E. (2013). Testing the tenets of minority stress theory in workplace contexts. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 532-542. doi:10.1037/a0033346
62.
WardR. M.HayM. C. (2015). Depression, coping, hassles, and body dissatisfaction: Factors associated with disordered eating. Eating Behaviors, 17, 14-18. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2014.12.002
63.
WatsonL. B.GrotewielM.FarrellM.MarshikJ.SchneiderM. (2015). Experiences of sexual objectification, minority stress, and disordered eating among sexual minority women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39, 458-470. doi:10.1177/0361684315575024
64.
WeiM.AlvarezA. N.KuT.RussellD. W.BonettD. G. (2010). Development and validation of a Coping with Discrimination Scale: Factor structure, reliability, and validity. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 328-344. doi:10.1037/a0019969
65.
WestonR.GoreP. A.Jr. (2006). A brief guide to structural equation modeling. The Counseling Psychologist, 34, 719-751. doi:10.1177/0011000006286345
