Post-Traumatic Stress and Alcohol Use as Mechanisms Explaining IPV Among Bisexual Women Who Disclose Sexual Violence to Partners: Examining Minority Stress as a Moderator - Project Summary Sexual violence (SV) is a major public health issue that disproportionately affects bisexual women (BiW). SV is associated with devastating mental health consequences. In particular, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are disproportionately elevated among BiW SV survivors. BiW are also especially likely to use alcohol to cope with their distress. Alcohol use in the context of intimate relationships is a known risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV), including physical, sexual, and psychological harm. BiW report much higher rates of IPV victimization than either heterosexual or lesbian women. Although research has demonstrated consistent links between SV experiences, PTSS, drinking, and subsequent IPV risk, little is known about the impact of SV disclosure on these processes. This is surprising given a robust body of research demonstrating the impact of the disclosure process and social reactions on survivor health outcomes. This work shows that receipt of negative social reactions to SV disclosure may constitute a “second assault.” Specifically, BiW survivors are more likely to receive negative reactions – such as blame, disbelief, or minimization – in response to their disclosures, and are especially likely to disclose SV to intimate partners. The integration of this literature suggests a process whereby receipt of negative reactions to SV disclosure is associated with heightened trauma symptoms, which exacerbate alcohol use that, in turn, heightens risk for IPV victimization. As much as trauma symptoms and alcohol use may be impacted by survivors’ disclosure experiences, these mechanistic processes are further complicated by minority stress. Minority stress – particularly salient among BiW given the proliferation of misogyny, heterosexist attitudes, and biphobia within both gay/lesbian and heterosexual communities – exacerbates PTSS, contributes to hazardous alcohol use, and impedes processes of recovery. More specifically, minority stress may interact, in serial fashion, with negative reactions from partners and trauma symptoms to predict greater alcohol use and subsequent IPV victimization. To test this model, a national sample of 300 BiW who disclosed sexual violence to an intimate partner will complete self-report questionnaires assessing receipt of social reactions to partner-involved disclosure, trauma symptoms linked to SV, alcohol use, minority stress, and IPV experiences at three time points across six months. Findings from the proposed study are expected to clarify key interpersonal and intrapersonal processes that may increase risk for IPV among BiW SV survivors, thus informing the development of effective intervention strategies.
