(PS9-77) What's in a Name? Heterosexual and Bisexual Womens' Labeling of Sexual Trauma Experiences

Abstract Text: Sexual assault, a pervasive problem, has a number of negative psychological effects (Campbell
et al., 2009; Orchowski & Gidycz, 2012), warranting continued research to determine best practices in
addressing these outcomes. Research has been conducted on the effects of self-labeling among women,
(Boyle & Clay-Warner, 2018) and of labeling the act of sexual assault as such (e.g., rape, sexual assault),
showing impactful outcomes on psychological well-being and reporting rates, respectively. However,
sexual orientation identity has not been examined as a potential factor in labeling these experiences.
The limited research available specific to bisexual women’s experiences find they are more likely to
report experiencing sexual assault and repeated victimization (Canan et al., 2021; Salim et al., 2023)
than their heterosexual and lesbian peers. Emerging research suggests bisexual women also
demonstrate worse mental health outcomes associated with sexual violence and in general (Brewster &
Moradi, 2010; Ross et al., 2018; Salim et al., 2023). However, little research has been conducted on
potential variability in bisexual women’s conceptualization of assault experiences. The current study
aimed to examine these differences between bisexual women and heterosexual women. The sample
consisted of heterosexual and bisexual-identifying women (N = 165; 29.7% bisexual) endorsing sexual
trauma histories engaged in longitudinal research investigating rape acknowledgment and wellbeing.
Participants acknowledged recent exposure to sexual trauma on the Sexual Experiences Survey and
subsequently characterized their experiences from a survey of 17 potential labels derived from
Peterson & Muehlenhard (2004). Irrespective of sexual identity, most women primarily categorized their
experiences as “bad sexual experiences” and “sexual assaults.” Heterosexual and bisexual-identifying
women demonstrated several similarities in classifying their sexual traumas. Yet, some differences were
noted. Specifically, women identifying as bisexual were three times as likely to select the label “a
youthful indiscretion on my part” (24.5%) than their heterosexual-identifying peers (7.8%, X2 = 9.68, p =
.003, V = .23). Similar, bisexual women were three times as likely to describe their experiences as “a
youthful indiscretion on the other person’s part” (18.4%) than heterosexual- women (6%, X=5.98, p =
.014, V = .19). Effects were small-to-medium in size. Upon analyzing main and interactive effects of self-
identification as ‘victim’ (60.5% endorsed) and/or ‘survivor’ (41.9% endorsed) with bootstrapped
logistical regression, we did not observe any between-group main or interaction effects. The results of
this study suggest that there are no significant differences in self-labeling between groups; however,
bisexual women appear to be more likely to minimize the perpetrator’s actions as an indiscretion and to
characterize themselves as having engaged in an indiscretion. Further research on the outcomes
associated with these descriptions is needed as these findings may have important implications for how
we conceptualize and approach treatment for sexual assault experiences among bisexual women.