Reproductive coercion, sexual risk behaviours and mental health symptoms among young low-income behaviourally bisexual women: implications for nursing practice.
Kamila A Alexander, Ellen M Volpe, Sarah Abboud and 1 others
PMID 27272932WHAT IT FOUND
Low-income bisexual women reported higher rates of physical intimate partner violence, sexual coercion, and PTSD symptoms than women who only had sex with men.
They were also more likely to experience birth control sabotage and trade sex for resources.
Key findings
01Women who had sex with both men and women reported significantly higher rates of physical intimate partner violence (71.4% vs 39.3%) and sexual violence without force (40.5% vs 10.4%) compared to women who had sex with men only.
02Women who had sex with both men and women were more likely to have been told by a male partner not to use birth control, a form of reproductive coercion, compared to women who had sex with men only.
03Women who had sex with both men and women reported significantly higher rates of positive screens for PTSD symptoms than women who had sex with men only.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (149 women) and limited to low-income Black women in one US city, so results may not generalize to other populations. The study was a secondary analysis of data collected for other purposes and did not ask participants to identify their sexual orientation (e.g., bisexual, lesbian), only their sexual behaviors. The survey did not capture the gender of the partners who committed the violence or coercion, nor did it determine when these events occurred. Data relied on retrospective self-reporting, which is subject to memory recall bias and social desirability bias.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted with approval from an institutional review board and participants received $20 remuneration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of significant difference in depression scores as evidence that mental health risks are equal between groups; PTSD symptoms were significantly higher in the bisexual behavior group, and both groups had high rates of depression screens. Also, do not assume the gender of the perpetrator, as the study did not specify whether male or female partners committed the violence or coercion.