Benjamin W. Katz

Sexual violence (SV) is a serious public health problem with overarching negative health consequences for survivors (Dworkin, 2020; Stockman et al., 2023). Notably, bisexual and other women reporti...

Sexual minority adolescents (SMAs) are at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes (e.g., posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms, suicidal ideation) compared to heterosexual adolescents. Most research has focused on the relationship between minority stress (e.g., discrimination) and mental health among SMAs. However, the extent to which minority stress and other forms of victimization, including sexual victimization, simultaneously influence SMAs’ mental health is understudied. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to examine the relative and interactive effects of minority stress and sexual victimization on changes in mental health over 6 months among SMAs. The analytic sample included 967 SMA ages 14 to 17 (68.15% cisgender girls, 57.91% non-Latinx White) who completed online surveys at 2 time points as part of a longitudinal study. Bivariate correlations indicated positive associations between minority stress and sexual victimization at baseline and each mental health outcome at baseline and 6-month follow-up. When minority stress and sexual victimization at baseline were included as simultaneous predictors of each mental health outcome at 6-month follow-up (controlling for each mental health outcome at baseline), minority stress was significantly associated with increases in posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation. In contrast, sexual victimization and the interaction between minority stress and sexual victimization were not significant. These findings provide longitudinal support for the role of minority stress in the mental health of SMAs, highlighting the need for interventions that target minority stress to improve mental health. Given that sexual victimization was not significantly associated with mental health after accounting for minority stress, additional research is needed to better understand the relative influences of minority stress and sexual victimization on the mental health of SMAs.

Sexual minority adults report disproportionately higher rates of trauma exposure (including exposure to sexual minority-specific traumatic events) and frequent engagement in posttrauma reckless and self-destructive behaviors (RSDBs). However, research has yet to examine factors that may help explain the association between sexual minority-specific trauma exposure (i.e., sexual orientation-related victimization) and posttrauma RSDBs. The present study examined the roles of trauma symptoms due to discrimination (e.g., uncontrollable arousal, feelings of alienation) and emotion dysregulation in the association between sexual orientation-related victimization and posttrauma RSDBs. Participants were 139 trauma-exposed sexual minority adults (M_age = 32.70) recruited from the community. A serial mediation model examined lifetime occurrences of sexual orientation-related victimization, trauma symptoms due to discrimination, emotion dysregulation, and posttrauma RSDBs. Results indicated that lifetime occurrences of sexual orientation-related victimization were associated with greater past-month posttrauma RSDBs. A significant indirect effect further indicated that greater trauma symptoms due to discrimination and emotion dysregulation were found to serially underlie this association. Trauma symptoms due to discrimination and emotion dysregulation may be important explanatory factors underlying the association between sexual orientation-related victimization and posttrauma RSDBs, suggesting their potential utility as targets in prevention and intervention efforts with trauma-exposed sexual minority adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientation and gender diverse (SOGD) communities are at disproportionately higher risk for sexual violence compared to cisgender heterosexual people. Despite this elevated risk, relatively few sexual violence prevention efforts effectively reduce these victimization disparities based on sexual orientation or gender identity.Objective: This narrative review provides an overview of the prevalence of sexual violence in the SOGD communities, delineates risk factors for sexual victimization among SOGD community members, and reviews and evaluates existing prevention efforts for the SOGD communities. We outline specific recommendations for ensuring that prevention efforts meet the needs of the SOGD communities.Method: Drawing on ecological systems theory and public health approaches to sexual violence prevention, we outline current approaches and opportunities for preventionists and scholars to push the field forward.Results: There have been promising prevention programmes designed to be implemented within SOGD communities specifically; however, it is important that general primary prevention programmes endeavour to specifically address sexual violence perpetrated against SOGD people. While many packaged programmes that endeavour to prevent sexual violence across all gender identities and sexual orientations are inclusive of SOGD participants, more programming is needed that integrates anti-oppression training to target social norms that perpetuate SOGD-specific rape myths and normalize sexual violence against SOGD community members.Conclusion: Ecological prevention strategies in line with a public health approach for primary prevention may be particularly valuable for reducing victimization disparities based on SOGD status and identity. Comprehensive sexual education and anti-discrimination policies should be considered front-line prevention programming. To assess if these strategies are effective, the implementation of large-scale surveillance surveys that use comprehensive assessments of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual violence are needed. Using theoretically grounded implementation strategies for prevention programmes can ensure effective programme delivery.

Prior research has demonstrated that discrimination is associated with suicidal ideation among bi + individuals, but little is known about resilience factors (both general and bi + specific) that may buffer these associations. This prospective study examined the main and interactive effects of antibisexual discrimination and resilience factors, including general resilience and positive bi + identity factors (community, authenticity, and intimacy), in predicting suicidal ideation at 1- and 2-month follow-up. Participants were bi + young adults (N = 396; ages 18-29; 42.7% cisgender men, 42.2% cisgender women, 15.2% transgender/gender diverse individuals; 37.9% racial and ethnic minority individuals) who completed measures of antibisexual discrimination (Brief Antibisexual Experiences Scale), positive bi + identity (Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure), general resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), and suicidal ideation (Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation) at baseline, and suicidal ideation again at 1- and 2-month follow-up. Greater antibisexual discrimination was significantly associated with increases in suicidal ideation at 1-month follow-up at low levels of community, authenticity, and intimacy, and increases in suicidal ideation at 2-month follow-up at low levels of authenticity. In addition, at high levels of authenticity, greater antibisexual discrimination was significantly associated with decreases in suicidal ideation at 1-month follow-up. In contrast, general resilience did not moderate the associations between antibisexual discrimination and suicidal ideation at 1- or 2-month follow-up. Results suggest that promoting positive aspects of bi + identity (community, authenticity, and intimacy), but not general resilience, may help attenuate the effects of antibisexual discrimination on suicidal ideation over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Previous studies examining the dose-response curve in psychotherapy have suggested that 11–19 sessions may be necessary for at least 50% of individuals to show clinically significant improvement. However, this curve has not been examined specifically for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders, for which a more rapid recovery curve may be expected. Survival analysis was used to assess the dose-response curve for 201 patients with anxiety disorders who received weekly CBT at an anxiety specialty clinic. The primary outcome measure was the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2, which patients completed prior to each treatment session. Sixty-four percent of the sample achieved reliable change, and this response occurred in approximately five sessions on average. Fifty percent of the sample achieved clinically significant improvement, which occurred in approximately eight sessions on average. The findings suggest that earlier response may be expected in CBT for anxiety disorders, and are discussed in terms of potential ways to further improve response rates for this treatment.