Bisexual group on a ‘down low’ run risk for bad mental health


Jan. 2, 2013 ? Bisexual organisation are reduction expected to divulge and some-more expected to disguise their passionate course than happy men. In a initial investigate to demeanour during a mental health of this population, researchers during Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that larger dissimulation of homosexual function was compared with some-more symptoms of basin and anxiety.

The investigate published in a American Psychological Association’s Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, examined bisexual organisation “on a down low,” a branch of bisexual organisation who live primarily heterosexual lives and do not divulge their same-sex behavior, a organisation that has not been complicated to date. The researchers complicated 203 nongay-identified organisation in New York City, who self-reported being behaviorally bisexual and had not disclosed their same-sex function to their womanlike partners.

According to findings, organisation who live with a mother or girlfriend, who consider of themselves as heterosexual, and who have a revoke magnitude of sex with organisation were some-more expected to disguise their same-sex behavior. Greater magnitude of sex with women also correlated with larger concealment. Men with a domicile income of $30,000 or some-more per year reported larger dissimulation about their same-sex function than organisation with revoke incomes.

“Our investigate provides information on a factors that competence minister to larger dissimulation among this organisation of behaviorally bisexual men,” pronounced Eric Schrimshaw, PhD, partner highbrow of Sociomedical Sciences and lead author. “Such information is vicious to bargain that of these bisexual organisation might be during biggest risk for mental health problems.”

Nearly 38% of a organisation reported that they have not common with anyone that they have sex with men. Only 41% reported that they had confided in a best crony or parent.

Dr. Schrimshaw and colleagues found that larger dissimulation correlated with some-more symptoms of basin and stress and revoke certain emotions. However, avowal to a few tighten friends or family did not seem to help; avowal to confidants was not compared with good mental health.

“The fact that concealment, though not disclosure, was compared with a mental health of these bisexual organisation is critically critical for a approach healing interventions are conducted in this population,” pronounced Karolynn Siegel, PhD, highbrow of Sociomedical Sciences and co-author. “Although avowal might outcome in acceptance from family and friends, in other cases — quite with womanlike partners — avowal might also outcome in rejecting reactions, that are adversely compared with mental health.”

The investigate also suggests reasons because dissimulation was negatively compared with mental health. Bisexual organisation who were some-more endangered than others about concealing their same-sex function also tended to news revoke levels of amicable support and some-more internalized homophobia — that is, disastrous attitudes toward their same-sex behavior.

The commentary prove that publically disclosing their same-sex function might not be required to their mental health, as prolonged as bisexual organisation have adequate romantic support to cope with other stressors in their lives. Professionals who do healing work with bisexual organisation might wish to concentration instead on assisting such organisation revoke their viewed need to disguise their same-sex function and accept their passionate orientation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials supposing by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, around EurekAlert!, a use of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Eric W. Schrimshaw, Karolynn Siegel, Martin J. Downing, Jeffrey T. Parsons. Disclosure and Concealment of Sexual Orientation and a Mental Health of Non-Gay-Identified, Behaviorally Bisexual Men.. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2012; DOI: 10.1037/a0031272

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Source: Health Medicine Network