Antibisexual Stigma and Sexual Objectification Prospectively Associated with Disordered Eating among Cisgender Bisexual Women.

Bisexual women are vulnerable to experiencing both sexual minority stress and sexual objectification which may contribute to disordered eating. For instance, women may conceal their bisexual identity to prevent sexually objectifying experiences; yet identity concealment is related to psychological distress, and may relate to disordered eating. Identity concealment may lead to greater body surveillance via increased self-focused attention and monitoring; increased monitoring in turn may elevate the risk for disordered eating. Thus, we examined if antibisexual stigma and sexual objectification related to disordered eating through bisexual identity concealment and body surveillance. Participants were 393 young cisgender bisexual women (M-age = 25.6; 82.8% White) recruited via Mechanical Turk. Participants completed measures evaluating antibisexual stigma and interpersonal sexual objectification at Time 1, sexual orientation concealment and body surveillance at Time 2 (3-month follow-up), and disordered eating at Time 3 (6-month follow-up). Using path analysis, sexual objectification and antibisexual stigma were entered as independent variables and identity concealment and body surveillance as serial mediators relating to disordered eating. We did not find support for a serial mediation effect. Instead, experiences of antibisexual stigma related to disordered eating directly, whereas sexual objectification related to disordered eating via body surveillance. However, effects were no longer significant after previous levels of the mediators and outcome were controlled for. Results suggest two unique processes are associated with risk for disordered eating in bisexual women. Eating disorder healthcare providers should be intentional in incorporating cultural factors related to minority stress and objectification frameworks when conceptualizing bisexual client cases.