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Childhood Trauma, Adult Sexual Assault, and Adult Gender Expression among Lesbian and Bisexual Women

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Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated that lesbian and bisexual women are more likely than heterosexual women to report childhood abuse and adult sexual assault. It is unknown, however, which sexual minority women are most likely to experience such abuse. We recruited adult sexual minority women living in the US through electronic fliers sent to listservs and website groups inviting them to complete an online survey (N = 1,243). We examined differences in both childhood abuse and adult sexual assault by women’s current gender identity (i.e., butch, femme, androgynous, or other) and a continuous measure of gender expression (from butch/masculine to femme/feminine), adjusting for sexual orientation identity, age, education, and income. Results indicated that a more butch/masculine current self-assessment of gender expression, but not gender identity, was associated with more overall reported childhood trauma. Although one aspect of gender expression, a more butch/masculine gender role, was associated with adult sexual assault, feminine appearance and a femme gender identity also significantly predicted adult sexual assault. These findings highlight the significance of gender identity and expression in identifying women at greater risk for various abuse experiences.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Centers for Disease Control Grant for Public Health Research Dissertation (R36 CD000996) award to Keren Lehavot.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 S. Columbian Way, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA

    Keren Lehavot

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Keren Lehavot

  3. Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Yamile Molina

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jane M. Simoni

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  1. Keren Lehavot
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  2. Yamile Molina
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  3. Jane M. Simoni
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Correspondence to Keren Lehavot.

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Lehavot, K., Molina, Y. & Simoni, J.M. Childhood Trauma, Adult Sexual Assault, and Adult Gender Expression among Lesbian and Bisexual Women. Sex Roles 67, 272–284 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0171-1

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