Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Vol 10(4), Dec 2023, 549-559; doi:10.1037/sgd0000561
Researchers have consistently found an increased vulnerability to sexual violence in bisexual women. Much like the broader literature around sexual violence against women, the limited research examining this vulnerability in bisexual women has focused on intraindividual victim factors such as alcohol use, mental health, and previous sexual assault victimization. Sexual violence researchers are expanding their purview to include sociocultural factors manifested in the immediate context of sexual violence perpetration and victimization. Adding to this expanding awareness of the importance of these factors, the current study explored the relationships between bisexual women’s perceived experiences of dehumanization, hostile sexism, and biphobia in the social circle with which they spend the most time and their reported experience of sexual violence within the last year. Consistent with prior research indicating heightened vulnerability to sexual violence in bisexual women a substantial portion of participants (72.2%) reported experiencing sexual violence within the last year. Of those participants reporting experiences of sexual violence, most (93%) of those reporting sexual violence endorsing surviving rape. Hypotheses were partially supported, with peer hostile sexism, biphobia, and dehumanization of bisexual women significantly relating to sexual violence. When examined simultaneously, only peer hostile sexism and biphobia emerged as unique predictors of vulnerability to sexual violence. The current study adds to the literature supporting the need for increased focus on bisexual women’s unique vulnerability to sexual violence, as well as the important and underexamined roles of sexism and biphobia as contributing factors to this vulnerability through peer-level processes and social norms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)