Bisexual women experience poorer mental health than lesbians and both were worse off than heterosexual women in England and Wales, according to a new, large study.
"Bisexual women may be more likely to experience social stress due to the 'double discrimination' of homophobia and biphobia. This stress, experienced mainly as internalized and felt stigma, could result in greater risk for poor mental health compared with lesbians," the authors concluded.
There analysis was based upon data gathered by the 2007 Stonewall Women's Health Survey, which included 937 bisexual-identified and 4769 lesbian-identified women age 15 and older. They were predominately white ( 92.4 percent ).
As a group, bisexual women were younger, poorer and more likely to be trans-identified, minority ethnic identified, and used marijuana and tranquilizers than did lesbians. There were no differences in patterns of alcohol use.
While bisexuals were less likely to experience discrimination in public settings such as work and school, the survey found "they were significantly more likely to experience discrimination from friends."
Bisexual women were 64 percent more likely to report an eating problem than lesbians; 37 percent more likely to have deliberately self-harmed in the past year; 26 percent more likely to have felt sad, miserable or depressed in the past year; and 20 percent more likely to have felt anxious or nervous in the last year.
Lesbians showed improved mental health status compared with some earlier surveys. Lead author Lisa Colledge suggested it might be because of changes in the law, such as recognition of same sex relationships, which did not affect bisexuals.
The survey also found that bisexuals were more socially isolated while lesbians are more likely to participate in activities that help to create a sense of community.
It calls for creating "public validation and support for bisexual identity" within both the heterosexual and lesbian and gay communities.
The analysis also compared their findings with earlier surveys of the broader population in the United Kingdom.
Poorer mental health in UK bisexual women than lesbians: evidence from the UK 2007 Stonewall Women's Health Survey. Lisa Colledge et al. Journal of Public Health, 14 January 2015.
