Microaggressions and Microaffirmations among Bisexual Women

Previous research indicates that bisexual women experience subtle stressors and supports (or microaggressions and microaffirmations), and that these experiences are related to mental health. However, there is not yet a valid way to measure these day-to-day experiences. This project is aimed at developing a validated measure that can be used to assess daily microaggressions and microaffirmations in order to better understand the relationship between these experiences and the mental health of bisexual women. We are approaching this project from a community-based mixed-methods design, in order to ensure that the eventual quantitative measures are rooted in the lived experience of bisexual women.

Team Members:

Margaret Robinson
Corey Flanders
Marianne Lebreton

Main Contact:

Corey Flanders (corey.flanders@camh.ca)

Funding:

Women's College Research Institute Women's Xchange $15k Challenge

Outcomes:

Articles:

Flanders C, LeBreton M, Robinson M (2018). Bisexual Women’s Experience of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations: A Community Engaged, Mixed-Methods Scale Development Project. Archives of Sexual Behaviour. [accepted, in press]
Salim, S. (2017). Bisexual Women's Experiences of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations and their Relation to Suicidality (Doctoral dissertation).
Legge, M. M., Flanders, C. E., & Robinson, M. (2017). Young bisexual people's experiences of microaggression: Implications for social work. Social Work in Mental Health, 1-20.

Media:

Robinson, M. Pioneering a measure of experiences shaping bisexual women's mental health. CAMH Blog (June 24).

Presentations:

Flanders C, Salim S, Robinson M (2017). Relationships Between Daily Microaggressions, Microaffirmations, and Mental Health Among Bisexual Women: A Daily Diary Study. Annual Meeting of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nov. 11.
Flanders C, Robinson M (2016). Microaggressions and Microaffirmations Among Non-Monosexual Women. Rainbow Health Ontario Conference, London, ON, March 10.