title: Variation in Sexual Identification Among Behaviorally Bisexual Women in the Midwestern United States: Challenging the Established Methods for Collecting Data on Sexual Identity and Orientation.
abstract: Collecting information on sexual identity is critical to ensuring the visibility of minority populations who face stigmatization and discrimination related to sexual identities. However, it is challenging to capture the nuances of sexual identity with traditional survey research methods. Using a mixed-methods approach, we gathered data on the sexual identities of 80 behaviorally bisexual women in the Midwestern United States through an online survey. When provided different types of measures (e.g., open ended and fixed response) and different contexts in which to identify (e.g., private and public), participants varied in how they reported their sexual identities. Qualitative analysis of participant narratives around identity change finds partitioning and ranking of attraction is a key component in understanding behaviorally bisexual women's identities. We further identify a division regarding the desired outcomes of identity development processes. Given the multiple ways in which participants identified depending upon the type of measure and the context specified, and the variation in identification over time, results support reconsidering the capability of typical measures and methods used in survey research to capture sexual identity information. Additionally, findings highlight the utility of including multiple, context-specific measures of sexual identities in future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, California State University Stanislaus, One University Circle, Turlock, CA, 95382, USA. abaldwin1@csustan.edu.
authors.forename: Aleta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: Division of Management, Policy and Community Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Vanessa R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Schick
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Health Science, Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Der Pol
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Health Science, Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Debby
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herbenick
authors.affiliation: The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: J Dennis
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fortenberry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015146:Midwestern United States; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Bisexual women; Bisexuality; Identities; Sexual identity; Sexual orientation; Women who have sex with women