Bisexual Women's Experience of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations: A Community-Based, Mixed-Methods Scale...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Bisexual women report poorer mental health outcomes compared to heterosexual or lesbian women.
• Existing tools may not fully capture the nuances of bisexual women's experiences with stigma and affirmation.
• There is a need for validated instruments to assess these experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate the Bisexual Microaggression and Microaffirmation Scales for Women (BMMS-W).
• To provide clinicians and researchers with a tool to better understand bisexual women's lived experiences.

Main Methods:

• Community-based participatory research approach.
• Focus groups and advisory meetings with bisexual women to identify experiences.
• Drafting and psychometric evaluation of survey items using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
• Data collected from 705 bisexual women across Canada and the U.S.

Main Results:

• Identified five factors of microaggressions: dismissal, mistrust, sexualization, social exclusion, and denial of complexity.
• Identified four factors of microaffirmations: acceptance, social support, recognition of bisexuality and biphobia, and emotional support.
• The Bisexual Microaggression and Microaffirmation Scales for Women (BMMS-W) demonstrated sound psychometric properties.

Conclusions:

• The BMMS-W is a validated tool for assessing microaggressions and microaffirmations experienced by bisexual women.
• This scale addresses the distinctiveness of bisexual women's experiences, aiding mental health research and practice.
• The findings support the need for tailored interventions and support systems for bisexual women.