Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Of all sexual orientations, female bisexuality is the one the least understood due to a lack of research. Although some studies have indicated that women who self-identify as bisexual may have poorer mental health than both heterosexual and lesbian women, little is known about why they appear to be at increased risk. One potential explanation may be that they feel they do not fit into either the mainstream heterosexual culture or the lesbian sub-culture. This marginalization could be a predisposing factor for mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide. Further, when understanding female bisexuality it may be important to take into account the cultural setting in which the individual is located. However, no research has investigated whether the lived experience of female bisexuality is related to living in a large urban versus in a small-town setting. In addition, no studies have looked at if French or English cultural affiliation may be associated with the mental health of female bisexuals. The current epidemiological study will attempt to address these gaps in the literature by recruiting 300 women, equally split into heterosexual, lesbian, and bisexual groups, from Montreal (English and French cultural affiliation, urban setting), Quebec City (French small-town, and Kingston (English small town). Through questionnaires the study will aim to investigate the relation between sexual, emotional, social, and cultural factors to mental health, depression and anxiety in particular. The ultimate goal is to identify the predisposing factors associated with poor prognosis for women who identify as bisexual. At the moment, there is little support available for bisexual women. It is hoped that the current research, through identifying which factors predispose bisexual woman to psychological problems, may lead to developing effective mental health prevention and intervention strategies to meet the needs of this relatively neglected group.