Victimization in a Nationwide Sample of Gay and Bisexual Men

Research indicates a high level of bias-related victimization among gay and bisexual men, but the total amount of victimization experienced by this population, including sexual orientation bias-related, other bias-related, and non-bias-related victimization, has hardly been examined. The relationship between coping and non-sexual orientation bias-related victimization among these populations has also received little research attention. This study examines total victimization during the previous 6 months and dispositional coping in a nationwide nonprobability sample of 297 self-identified gay and bisexual men. Results showed a high incidence of total victimization, with 72% of participants reporting a victimization occurrence. Emotion-oriented coping was positively correlated with victimization. The results indicate that many gay and bisexual men live in stressful environments which may contribute to negative health and mental health outcomes among them.