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Depressive symptoms are a significant health concern among sexual minority women, with bisexual women at a higher risk than lesbian women. Internalized heterosexism is a key risk factor for depression among sexual minority women. Sense of belonging to the LGBTIQ + community is protective for lesbian women, but the limited research among bisexual women has shown inconsistent results. The current study investigated whether a sense of belonging to the LGBTIQ + community was directly related to fewer depressive symptoms and indirectly related via lower levels of internalized heterosexism, and whether the indirect effect was similar for bisexual and lesbian women. A sample of 175 self-identified bisexual women and 311 self-identified lesbian women aged 18 to 61 years (M = 31.91, SD = 11.38) completed the Psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the Internalized Homophobia Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Bisexual women reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and internalized heterosexism, and lower levels of a sense of belonging to the LGBTIQ + community, than lesbian women. A sense of belonging to the LGBTIQ + community was directly associated with lower depressive symptoms and indirectly related via lower internalized heterosexism. However, sexual orientation moderated the indirect relationship. The indirect effect of a sense of belonging to the LGBTIQ + community on depressive symptoms was significant for lesbian women but not bisexual women. Results imply that increasing a sense of belonging to the LGBTIQ + community may be beneficial for bisexual and lesbian women, but the pathways by which protection is afforded will differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a significant mental health issue for bisexual women. While theory and research indicates that sense of belonging is important for mental health, limited research has investigated this in relation to bisexual women belonging to the LGBTQ + community. Existing research indicates that identification and involvement with the LGBTQ + community is not protective for the mental health of bisexual women. The protective nature of the extent to which bisexual women feel valued and needed within the lesbian community has not been examined. The current study examined the relationships between sense of belonging to the lesbian and heterosexual communities and depressive symptoms among bisexual women. A sample of 306 Australian self-identified bisexual women completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument. Results indicated that sense of belonging to each community was related to lower levels of depressive symptoms. Further, levels of belonging to each community interacted, indicating that sense of belonging to the lesbian community was protective for bisexual women with lower, but not higher, levels of sense of belonging to the heterosexual community. Results imply that increasing belonging to the lesbian community is important for bisexual women who do not feel they belong in the heterosexual community. The challenge is how to increase sense of belonging of bisexual women in the lesbian community, where they are exposed to negative attitudes about their sexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]