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Development and Validation of a Brief Version of the Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale

  • Special Section: Bisexual Health
  • Published:
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Abstract

Experiencing anti-bisexual discrimination has been linked with numerous negative consequences, such as internalized stigma and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A commonly used measure of anti-bisexual discrimination in research is the Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale (ABES). While this scale has been instrumental in advancing knowledge about discrimination against bisexual individuals, its length presents challenges to widespread use and it remains unknown if its psychometric properties are consistent across diverse genders and non-monosexual identities. To address these limitations, the current study developed and validated a brief version of the ABES. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we reduced the number of items by more than half, while retaining the full measure’s associations with other stigma- and identity-related constructs as well as mental health. Invariance testing indicated that the Brief ABES functioned similarly across diverse genders (i.e., cisgender men, cisgender women, and gender minorities) and sexual identities (i.e., bisexual and other non-monosexual identities). These findings provide initial validation of the Brief ABES and demonstrate that it can be used with bisexual and other non-monosexual (e.g., pansexual, queer) individuals, including cisgender and gender minority individuals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Christina Dyar

  2. Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Chicago, IL, USA

    Brian A. Feinstein

  3. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Brian A. Feinstein

  4. Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Joanne Davila

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  1. Christina Dyar
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  2. Brian A. Feinstein
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  3. Joanne Davila
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Correspondence to Christina Dyar.

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Dyar, C., Feinstein, B.A. & Davila, J. Development and Validation of a Brief Version of the Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale. Arch Sex Behav 48, 175–189 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1157-z

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