Dataset Information

Femininity, masculinity, and body image in a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women.

ABSTRACT: This study expands the literature on body image among lesbian and bisexual women by examining the relationship between self-perceived gendered personality traits and expressions (i.e., sense of self in relation to cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity) and body satisfaction, a key body image construct. We used data from Wave 3 (2010-2012) of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study. The CHLEW includes a novel measure of gender expression, with masculinity and femininity as distinct but overlapping constructs. In the large analytic sample (N = 553), we found both similarities and differences in the association between femininity/masculinity and body image in lesbian and bisexual women. Bisexual women reported significantly lower body satisfaction than lesbian women. Higher masculinity was associated with greater body satisfaction in the full sample, but the association was stronger for bisexual than lesbian women. Femininity was positively associated with body satisfaction only for bisexual women. These findings suggest that masculinity and femininity play different roles in body satisfaction for lesbian and bisexual women and highlight the importance of disaggregating sexual identity in studies of sexual minority women's health. Clinicians should routinely ask about sexual identity and gender expression, especially when presenting concerns involve body image or disordered eating.

SUBMITTER: Steele SM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6703961 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Femininity, masculinity, and body image in a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women.

Steele Sarah M SM Belvy Lisa L Veldhuis Cindy B CB Martin Kelly K Nisi Robyn R Hughes Tonda L TL

Women & health 20190221 8

This study expands the literature on body image among lesbian and bisexual women by examining the relationship between self-perceived gendered personality traits and expressions (i.e., sense of self in relation to cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity) and body satisfaction, a key body image construct. We used data from Wave 3 (2010-2012) of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study. The CHLEW includes a novel measure of gender expression, with masculinity and ...[more]

PMID: 30786850

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Project description:Lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women experience pervasive sexual stigma that harms wellbeing. Stigma is a multi-dimensional construct and includes perceived stigma, awareness of negative attitudes towards one's group, and enacted stigma, overt experiences of discrimination. Despite its complexity, sexual stigma research has generally explored singular forms of sexual stigma among LBQ women. The study objective was to develop a scale to assess perceived and enacted sexual stigma among LBQ women. We adapted a sexual stigma scale for use with LBQ women. The validation process involved 3 phases. First, we held a focus group where we engaged a purposively selected group of key informants in cognitive interviewing techniques to modify the survey items to enhance relevance to LBQ women. Second, we implemented an internet-based, cross-sectional survey with LBQ women (n=466) in Toronto, Canada. Third, we administered an internet-based survey at baseline and 6-week follow-up with LBQ women in Toronto (n=24) and Calgary (n=20). We conducted an exploratory factor analysis using principal components analysis and descriptive statistics to explore health and demographic correlates of the sexual stigma scale. Analyses yielded one scale with two factors: perceived and enacted sexual stigma. The total scale and subscales demonstrated adequate internal reliability (total scale alpha coefficient: 0.78; perceived sub-scale: 0.70; enacted sub-scale: 0.72), test-retest reliability, and construct validity. Perceived and enacted sexual stigma were associated with higher rates of depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem, social support, and self-rated health scores. Results suggest this sexual stigma scale adapted for LBQ women has good psychometric properties and addresses enacted and perceived stigma dimensions. The overwhelming majority of participants reported experiences of perceived sexual stigma. This underscores the importance of moving beyond a singular focus on discrimination to explore perceptions of social judgment, negative attitudes and social norms.

Dataset Information

Femininity, masculinity, and body image in a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women.

Publications

Femininity, masculinity, and body image in a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women.

Similar Datasets

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