Bisexual Invisibility in Trauma: PTSD Symptomology, and MentalHealthcare Experiences Among Bisexual Women and Men versus Lesbians and Gay Men

Sexual minority people are at an increased risk of experiencing interpersonal trauma (IPT) and appear to have higher levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptomology following IPT than heterosexual individuals. Sexual minorities are also at an increased risk of marginalization and discrimination, which may further contribute to PTS symptomology. Unlike lesbian and gay individuals, bisexual people often experience discrimination from the straight and gay communities. The present study investigated differences between bisexual individuals' experiences of IPT and lesbian women and gay men's experiences of IPT. One-way ANOVA analyses indicated that among 404 sexual minority participants, bisexual men and women reported similar amounts of IPT incidents and PTS symptomology as lesbian and gay participants. However, bisexual women reported more recent experiences of abuse compared to their lesbian counterparts. Results also indicated that though the rating of mental health treatment did not differ across groups, lesbian and gay participants were more likely to come out to their mental health providers compared to bisexual participants.