Non-monosexual and sexual minority women (SMW) report higher rates of mental health issues over heterosexual women. Non-monosexual women are women who either have partners of various genders/sex or women who have never had a partner of the same sex, but it was more broadly defined in this study– being based on reported sexual attraction, sexual behavior, etc. This study used mixed-methods to distinguish common characteristics of non-monosexual women and SMWs and if they exhibit mental health patterns identical to anxiety and depression.
The participants of this study consisted of English-speaking women over the age of 18, transitioning into parenthood and identified as heterosexual or considered a sexual minority. The participants were given an online survey during the third trimester of their pregnancy. The survey used eight standardized instruments to test for identifiable characteristics of SMWs and non-SMWs and mental health patterns. One of the standardized instruments was the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, which assessed the prominence of the five domains of sexual orientation (attraction, behaviour, fantasy, emotional preference and social preference), in which the participants had to rate on a scale of one to seven scale for “other sex only” to “same sex only”. Other standardized instruments tested for “openness” or “concealment” of the participant’s sexual identity to others, centrality to a sexual identity, and connectedness to the LGBTQ community. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used for the women to self-report how they felt immediately before or after giving birth and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory measured for levels of anxiety and emotional consistency.
The data was studied using bivariate analysis. Variables that were associated with one or more mental health outcomes were used in latent class analysis for non-monosexual participants. Qualitatively, the researchers conducted interviews to identify relevant words and themes used by the different groups of women and to observe their behaviors. Common themes identified in the interviews were either relevant to the minority stress framework or themes relevant to women’s sexual identity development across the lifespan that may be particular to or uniquely experienced by non-monosexual women. Current and past five years partner gender, lack of LGBTQ community connection, and low centrality of sexual minority identity were associated with anxiety symptoms. Latent class analysis revealed significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms among non- monosexual women partnered with men relative to those partnered with women.
Citation: Ross, L. E., Manley, M. H., Goldberg, A. E., Januwalla, A., Williams, K., & Flanders, C. E. (2017). Characterizing non-monosexual women at risk for poor mental health outcomes: a mixed methods study. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 108(3), e296+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_ccny&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA505130591&asid=f31a0cf078fa912ebeefa3bc80cd5c05
