Irresponsibility Stereotypes Exacerbate Effects of Sexual Violence on Cisgender Bisexual Women's Coping Drinking...

Bisexual women experience disparities in alcohol use outcomes compared with both lesbian and heterosexual women. Bisexual women also experience higher rates of sexual violence and alcohol use following sexual violence. We examined whether coping drinking motives explain the link between adult sexual violence severity and alcohol use and whether dimensions of binegativity (i.e., hostility, instability, irresponsibility) moderate the effects of sexual violence.

The sample consisted of 355 young (ages 18-35) cisgender bisexual women drinkers (mean age = 25.8, 84.2% White) recruited via MTurk. Measures included the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization, Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale, Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption subscale. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used.

There was an interaction between sexual violence severity and irresponsibility stereotypes in predicting coping motives. Sexual violence severity related to greater coping motives at mean and high, but not low, levels of irresponsibility stereotypes. Indirect effects of sexual violence severity on alcohol use via coping motives were significant at mean and high, but not low, levels of irresponsibility stereotypes. Hostility and instability dimensions of binegativity did not interact with sexual violence severity in predicting coping motives.

Results identified sexual violence severity and irresponsibility stereotypes as compounding experiences that may explain greater alcohol use. Bisexual women exposed to this dimension of binegativity may be particularly vulnerable to drinking alcohol to cope with distress following sexual violence. Interventions for alcohol use may be enhanced by helping bisexual women cope with sexual violence-related distress and irresponsibility stereotypes.