Exploring Help-Seeking Behaviors among Black Sexual Minority Cisgender Women in Late Adolescence: The Role of Abuse Experiences.

Abstract

Sexual minority youth (e.g., lesbian, queer, bisexual) encounter higher rates of abuse compared to their heterosexual peers. Similarly, Black youth are disproportionately affected by adverse experiences, including abuse. Seeking help after experiencing abuse has been shown to improve both mental and physical health outcomes. There is a lack of research on how the intersection of these identities affects help-seeking behaviors when experiencing different types of abuse. To address this gap, our study analyzed national data from 716 Black cisgender sexual minority women (SMW) aged 18 to 21 (M_age = 19.5) who participated in the Healthy Minds Study and examined the likelihood of seeking formal and informal support based on past year emotional, physical, and sexual abuse experiences. Formal help-seeking was assessed by whether participants received counseling or therapy, and informal help-seeking was defined as seeking support from a non-professional source (e.g., family member, friend, and significant other). We found participants who reported abuse experiences, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or combined abuse experiences, were significantly more likely to seek informal support, with odds ratios of 2.20, 1.66, 2.77, and 2.38, respectively. However, there was no difference in formal help-seeking compared to participants without abuse experiences. Specific sources of informal support sought were explored descriptively by participants with and without abuse experiences, showing that participants who experienced abuse primarily sought informal support from friends, family members, significant others, and roommates. This trend was consistent among participants who did not report any abuse experiences. Overall, findings suggest that there were no significant differences in the likelihood of seeking formal support regardless of participants' abuse history. However, those who experienced abuse were significantly more likely to seek informal support compared to those who did not. Findings suggest Black adolescent SMW who have endured abuse may face barriers accessing formal support networks; therefore, targeted interventions are needed.