Location: Online - Zoom
Bisexual individuals represent the largest segment of the LGBTQ+ population, yet they are largely invisible in society. Further, they are disproportionately affected by a range of negative health outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, suicidality) relative to both heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. These disparities are due in part to the unique stressors that bisexual individuals face, including negative attitudes toward and stereotypes about them (e.g., that they are confused about their sexual orientation, that they are promiscuous and unfaithful in relationships), which come from both heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. In this presentation, Dr. Brian Feinstein will provide an overview of the health disparities affecting bisexual individuals and the unique stressors that contribute to these disparities. He will also describe how interventions could be adapted to address the unique needs of bisexual individuals and how training could be improved to prepare clinicians to provide affirmative care to bisexual clients.
Dr. Brian Feinstein (he/him) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS). He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University in 2015 after completing an APA-accredited internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Prior to joining the faculty at RFUMS, he completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University (2015-2018) and then he served as a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University (2018-2020). His program of research focuses on understanding and addressing the health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, especially bisexual individuals. He is particularly interested in the role of stigma-related stress in the development and maintenance of mental and behavioral health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance use, HIV/STI). Currently, he has funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop and test an online intervention designed to increase sexual health knowledge and decrease sexual risk behavior among bisexual adolescents.