Wives' reactions to learning that their husbands are bisexual

Interviews with 33 women, plus data from 70 more, explored wives' reactions to being informed by their husbands that their husbands were bisexual, the consequences of disclosure, and the factors determining those reactions and consequences. Findings suggest that wives struggled less with the homosexuality itself than with problems of isolation, stigma, loss, cognitive confusion and dissonance, and lack of knowledgeable, empathic support or help in problem solving. Moreover, faulty assumptions about "disclosure" seem to have led to serious misconceptions about the wives, on the part of husbands, researchers, and therapists alike. These misconceptions and the "realities" are discussed.