Planned Parenthood Toronto

ABSTRACTYoung bisexual women experience health disparities related to sexual health, yet there is comparatively little research that addresses which specific factors drive these disparities. The current study investigates young bisexual women’s perspective of their sexual health in order to address this gap. We conducted a community-based qualitative study in Canada, which included four two-hour focus group sessions with 35 bisexual women (broadly defined as bisexual and other nonmonosexual people who self-identify as women, cisgender and transgender inclusive). Focus group sessions were transcribed verbatim and analysed from a grounded theory approach. Young bisexual women perceive various forms of stigma, most notably binegativity and monosexism, as negatively impacting their sexual health. This stigma creates barriers at the institutional and interpersonal level to maintaining positive sexual health. Young bisexual women relate substantial negative health consequences to stigma, including a dearth of applicable health resources and risk of sexual violence. Participants suggest a number of ways in which their health could be supported.

Young bisexual women report worse mental health outcomes in comparison to young heterosexual and lesbian women. Although these mental health disparities have been documented consistently in recent research, few researchers have investigated how young bisexual women understand their mental health and perceived factors that influence mental health disparities within their communities. Understanding more about how young bisexual women perceive their mental health can help direct the development of interventions aimed at addressing these health disparities. This article addresses a qualitative community-based research project where 35 young bisexual women discussed their perceptions of their mental health, challenges and supports to their mental health, and suggestions for change. Analysis of the data indicates that young bisexual women perceive monosexism and biphobia as significant challenges to their mental health at the institutional, community, interpersonal, and intrapersonal level.