Five-year study to explore the impact of discrimination on mental health among bisexual and pansexual adolescents and young adults
The National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Mental Health (NIH/NIMH) awarded Christina Dyar, PhD, assistant professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, a five-year, $3.6 million grant to examine the impact of microaggressions and discrimination on the mental health of bisexual and pansexual adolescents and young adults.
The research project, “Bisexual Adolescents' and Young Adults' Risk for Depression and Suicidal Ideation: Developmental Trajectories, Risk and Protective Factors and Underlying Mechanisms,” also aims to identify whether factors like social support can help minimize or prevent the negative effects that these issues can have on the health of these individuals.
Dr. Dyar has been conducting research on the impact of microaggressions and bias experienced by bisexual and pansexual individuals for more than a decade. “This grant is an important next step in helping to increase our understanding of the detrimental impact of stereotypes that portray bisexual and pansexual individuals as promiscuous or confused about their sexual identity on their mental health. It will help to identify ways that we can reduce disparities experienced by bisexual and pansexual individuals.”
Dr. Dyar and her research team will invite participants to complete surveys every six months for two and a half years. This approach will enable the research team to examine both the short- and long-term impact of microaggressions and discrimination experiences on the mental health of bisexual and pansexual adolescents and young adults.
Other experts in bisexual and pansexual mental health involved in this work include co-principal investigator Dr. Brian Feinstein from Rosalind Franklin University and co-investigators Dr. Paz Galupo from the University of Washington at Saint Louis and Dr. Ethan Mereish from the University of Maryland. Their combined expertise will play a crucial role in advancing the study’s goals.
“This community has been marginalized and excluded from critical health research for far too long,” Dyar added. “The findings from this study will inform the development of interventions designed to help bisexual and pansexual adolescents and young adults overcome microaggressions and discrimination and improve their mental health outcomes.”
