Social Support as a Mediator of Anti-Bisexual Prejudice and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Among sexual minorities, bisexual individuals experience higher rates of victimization and symptoms of PTSD than their lesbian and gay peers as well as heterosexual individuals. Despite these disparities, little work has examined factors contributing to PTSD symptoms among bisexual adults. The current study examined the associations between bisexual-specific minority stress and PTSD symptoms in a sample of adults with bisexual orientation and tested social support as a potential mediator of this association. Participants were 488 adults (378 cisgender women, 49 cisgender men, 61 transgender individuals), ages 18 to 66 years, with bisexual orientation based on identity and/or attraction to multiple genders. Greater anti-bisexual prejudice was associated with greater PTSD symptoms (β = 0.16) and lower social support (β = −.16), while accounting for sociodemographics and sexual identity-based victimization. Social support was associated with lower PTSD symptoms (β = −.25), while accounting for sociodemographics, sexual identity-based victimization, and anti-bisexual prejudice. Mediation analyses indicated that anti-bisexual prejudice was indirectly associated with greater PTSD symptoms through lower social support. Addressing bisexual-specific minority stress and its role in diminishing social support for bisexual individuals represents a critical component of trauma-informed research and intervention development in the bisexual community.