Disclosure and Help-Seeking Following Sexual Violence Among Bi+ Women: A Scoping Review
摘要
Bi+ women have high levels of sexual violence perpetrated against them, as well as poor post-assault health. This scoping review explores bi+ women’s experiences and patterns of help-seeking and disclosure following sexual violence, and the intersecting sociocultural factors shaping these experiences.
MethodsA comprehensive search of four health sciences and humanities databases was conducted. Peer-reviewed journal articles of original work and doctoral theses published between 2013 and 2025, which included information on bi+ women’s experiences and/or barriers with disclosing and help-seeking following adult sexual violence, were included in this review.
ResultsA majority of studies were excluded during full-text screening for not separating bi+ women from other sexual and gender identities, resulting in a total of 17 studies. Included studies were primarily US-based with samples of predominantly white, young people and college students. The overarching themes included: disclosure and health service use, advocacy and community support, disclosure reactions from others, including family members, and barriers to disclosure and seeking support.
ConclusionsThe findings of this review highlight the lack of meaningful inclusion of bi+ experiences. The included studies, however, emphasized the pervasive impact of identity-related stigma on the reactions that bi+ women received, barriers to support, and the negative impacts of poor support, which may in part explain the poor post-assault health bi+ women face. Findings also highlighted the value of support from other victim-survivors, and bi+ /queer women. Further research is needed to provide a nuanced and more diverse understanding of bi+ women’s experiences with help-seeking and disclosure.