Mental Health Problems in Bisexuals Essay

Randolph, C.H. Chan, Operario, D., & Mak, W. W. S. (2020). Bisexual individuals are at greater risk of poor mental health than lesbians and gay men: The mediating role of sexual identity stress at multiple levels. Journal of Affective Disorders, 260, 292-301. Web.

A number of studies reveal that bisexuals appear to be more vulnerable to mental problems than heterosexuals, gays, and lesbians. Randolph, Chan, Operario, & Mak (2020) presented their study in this regard, which is aimed to reveal mental health disparities in LGB communities in non-Western societies. According to the researchers, they intend to explore mental health problems, anxieties, depressions among gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (Randolph et al., 2020). In addition, they investigate “how the disparities are explained by the greater sexual identity stress experienced by bisexual individuals compared to their gay and lesbian counterparts” (Randolph et al., 2020, para. 1). In order to peruse these purposes, the scientists conducted their own exploration.

Their experiment involved 931 individuals, who also were cisgender LG B representatives, and was conducted in Hong Kong. 70,1% of participants identified themselves as gays and lesbians, and the rest 29,9% referred to bisexual orientation (Randolph et al., 2020). All of them were asked to fill a self-report questionnaire, which included questions on their mental health (Randolph et al., 2020). The analysis of the results revealed that bisexuals tend to have anxieties and depressions more than gays and lesbians. The researcher highlight:

“Structural equation modeling showed that, compared with lesbians and gay men, bisexual individuals were more likely to report identity uncertainty, conceal their sexual orientation, and have a weaker sense of connection to the LGBT community, which were in turn associated with greater affective symptoms and poorer mental well-being” (Randolph et al., 2020, para. 3).

Thus, the study appears to be insightful in the context of exploring the mental health of bisexuals. According to Randolph et al. (2020), this fact can be explained by identity stress in various situations, lack of support from like-minded people, and the necessity to conceal their orientation. For this reason, scientists believe that it is crucial to adjust modern psychology to the need of LGB representatives and especially bisexuals. Therefore, this article is important for estimating the mental health among LGBT representatives, especially bisexuals. In addition, the author draws attention to the necessity to address this issue in the long run by the entire society.

Taylor, J., Power, J., Smith., E., & Rathbone, M. (2019). Bisexual mental health: Findings from the ‘Who I Am’ study. Australian Journal of General Practice, 48(3).

As it has been mentioned above, a number of studies prove the fact that bisexuals have poorer mental health conditions comparing to other LGB representatives. However, the reason for it presents a matter of multiple discussions and explorations among researchers. Some of them state that there is a knowledge gap in this regard, so there is a necessity to explore this question properly, considering multiple factors, which may influence LGB representatives. Thus, Taylor, Power, Smith. & Rathbone (2019) were determined to analyze this aspect thoroughly in their article Bisexual Mental Health: Findings from the ‘Who I Am’ Study. Pursuing this aim, researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey, which was held from September 2016 to March 2017. It involved 2651 Australian adults, who are bisexuals and/or who “had an attraction to more than one gender” and/or “had a sexual experience with more than one gender” (Taylor et al., 2019, para. 9). The analysis of the data revealed a significant vulnerability to mental health problems among the participants.

The study contributed to defining possible reasons for bisexuals’ poorer mental health, comparing to gays and lesbians. Taylor et al. claim: “Biphobia, invisibility, erasure, being ‘out’ and some aspects of intimate relationships were significantly related to mental health in this sample” (2019, para. 17). In addition, unlike the experiment conducted by Randolph et al. (2020), they emphasize that the connection with the LGBT community is not influential on their mentality (Taylor et al., 2019). Another factor, which leads to stress among bisexuals, implies the feeling that their sexual orientation is not right (Taylor et al., 2019). Participants of the survey, who were in relationships with a person of the same sex, were marked with a better mental state, comparing to the ones in heterosexual relationships (Taylor et al., 2019). Furthermore, a partner, who does not provide essential support, also causes a large number of worries for bisexuals.

This article is informative, as it describes that the aforementioned factors appear to be influential considerably in the context of the mental health of bisexuals and affect their psychological state. In some cases, it may lead to serious psychological problems, impacting the lifestyle of bisexuals. Consequently, the study contributes to fulfilling the lack of knowledge in this field, proving an in-depth insight into this topic and supplementing previous researches.

Escobar-Viera, C. G., Whitfield, D. L., Wessel, C. B., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Brown, A. L., Chandler, C. J., Hoffman, B. L., Marshal, M. P., & Primack, B. A. (2018). For better or for worse? A systematic review of the evidence on social media use and depression among lesbian, gay, and bisexual minorities.JMIR Mental Health, 5(3). Web.

Apart from the reason outlined above, there is another approach, which involves analyzing the impact of media use on LGB representatives. Escobar-Viera et al. (2018) aimed to provide an in-depth insight into this issue. According to them, this group of the population appears to be more active in the context of Internet contact than heterosexuals (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). The researchers assume: “social media use might represent both a protective and a risk factor for depression among LGB persons” (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018, para. 1). Escobar-Viera et al. (2018) conducted a literature review on this issue, which included quantitative and qualitative studies dated from January 2003 to January 2017, and their scope involves 3 databases. Other criteria of selection were peer-viewed articles, written in the English language and regarded depression rate analysis among the LGB community. Thus, 11 studies were chosen in accordance with the requirements.

All the authors of the selected articles approach the issue differently. The most widely spread topic was cyberbullying and its connection to depression and suicidal thoughts among LGB persons. However, some of the studies reported that social media was beneficial for the psychological state, as it appears to be a space where LGB can share their experience and worries and receive essential support (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). Therefore, Escobar-Viera et al. (2018) concluded that there is no precise answer to the question of the impact of social media on LGB representatives, and this topic should be further explored. For this reason, social media use may present both protective and risk factors for bisexual mental states. It depends on a particular person, his or her activity on the Internet, personal traits, and other numerous factors.

The article is aimed to supplement the previously conducted researches on indicating the reasons for mental health vulnerability among bisexuals. In the context of present-day development, it is crucial to take into concern the impact of social media and various Internet resources. Thus, this study is insightful in the context of revealing the factors, which lead to mental health problems among bisexuals and fulfilling this research gap.

Salim, S., Robinson, M., & Flanders, C. E. (2019). Bisexual women’s experiences of microaggressions and microaffirmations and their relation to mental health. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6(3), 336–346. Web.

Sexual identity microaggressions and judging in this regard is also highly likely to be the reason for bisexual vulnerability to mental health disorders. Salim, Robinson, & Flanders (2019) attempted to study this issue in their article Bisexual Women’s Experiences of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations and their Relation to Mental Health. As a method of exploration, they used a 5-day online diary:

“The first day participants completed a survey with information on demographics, sexual identity, social support, depression, and self-esteem. For Days 2 through 5 participants completed daily diary entries consisting of the Bisexual Microaggression and Microaffirmation Scales, measures of depression, suicidality, and happiness” (Salim et al., 2019, para. 1).

After the analysis of the data received in the diary, the relationship between microaggression and microaffirmation and the phycological state of bisexuals was examined. Salim et al. (2019) concluded that it was extremely impactful on the level of depression, suicidality, and the general feeling of happiness. Therefore, microaggression and microaffirmation can be mentioned as one of the reasons, which is highly likely to lead to mental health disorders among bisexuals.

Summarizing the information in the studies on the reasons for a bisexual poor mental state, in the modern world, there is a variety of factors, which can contribute to the development of psychological problems. They could be some aspects of intimate life, lack of support from a partner, the feeling that bisexuality is something wrong. In some cases, social media may also contribute to mental disorders among bisexuals, though this aspect is extremely individual. In addition, microaggression and microaffirmation may significantly affect the mental health of individuals and results in depressions and suicidal thoughts. Therefore, Bisexual Women’s Experiences of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations and their Relation to Mental Health appears to be useful for supplying a comprehensive picture in this regard. The article, as well as the previously observed ones, supplement each other and contribute to fulfilling the knowledge gap in the topic of bisexual mental health vulnerability.

Pakula, B., Shoveller, J., Ratner, P. A., & Carpiano, R. (2016). Prevalence and co-occurrence of heavy drinking and anxiety and mood disorders among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual Canadians.American Journal of Public Health, 106(6), 1042-1048. Web.

In the context of researching the topic of bisexual mental health, it is essential to mention the symptoms, which are habitual for them. In the study Prevalence and Co-occurrence of Heavy Drinking and Anxiety and Mood Disorders among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Canadians, Pakula, Shoveller, Ratner, & Carpiano (2016) pay attention to this question. They are aimed to “investigate the prevalence and co-occurrence of heavy drinking, anxiety, and mood disorders among Canadians who self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexuals” (Pakula et al., 2016, para 1). In order to clarify this issue, the authors used the Canadian Community Health Survey, dated from 2007 to 2012 (Pakula et al., 2016). The data was used for fitting “logistic regression models controlling for sociodemographic characteristics” (Pakula et al., 2016, para 2). The researchers highlight heavy drinking as a common symptom of mental health problems among bisexuals.

In addition, it is stated that LGB representatives tend to adhere to this activity more frequently, compared to heterosexuals. Another aspect, which should be mentioned in this regard is the fact that the rate of heavy drinking re-occurrence is considerably higher among bisexuals than among people of other sexual orientations (Pakula et al., 2016). Thus, heavy drinking appears to be a habitual mental health symptom for them. Another fact, which is noted by the authors, bisexuals with anxiety and upsetting mood tend to stick to heavy drinking more frequently (Pakula et al., 2016). The researcher draws attention to the problem of the psychological state of bisexuals, as it appears to be a common sight. Therefore, the necessity to address this problem by the whole society is evident. Thus, this article may be considered informative, as it proves the conclusions presented in other articles on this topic. In addition, it highlights one of the symptoms, which is not mentioned in other studies, which is heavy drinking. Furthermore, it draws attention to the mental health problems among bisexuals, which is beneficial for their solution in the long run.