{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T07:00:22Z","timestamp":1785308422848,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785283200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100008522","name":"University of Illinois at Chicago","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100008522","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100032912","name":"Fondation Amidex","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100032912","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Bisexual+ women experience higher rates of both mental illness and chronic pain when compared to either straight or lesbian women. Their experiences of the relationship between their mental health and chronic pain remain underexplored. This article presents an intersectional Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of the experiences of six bisexual+ women with chronic pain.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Each woman completed two semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analyzed with Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, beginning with in-depth case study analysis of each person\u2019s interviews before moving to comparison across cases.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Results indicated a complex web of multidirectional relationships between mental health and chronic pain. These relationships were fraught because of the cultural context which often dismisses women\u2019s pain as \u201cin their heads\u201d. Pain could worsen mental health but also offer insights. Mental unwellness could worsen participants\u2019 ability to care for their pain. Sociocultural stressors, trauma, and relationship stress were described as worsening both mental health and chronic pain. Emotional release could sometimes help with pain relief.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Results are discussed in the context of minority stress and embodiment frameworks. Chronic pain can be a manifestation of minority stress in the bodies of bisexual+ women with chronic pain, and bisexual+ women themselves feel and identify these links between sociocultural stressors and pain. Participants highlight the importance of believing bisexual+ women with chronic pain, as well as the need for both holistic medical care and social change.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1811843","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T06:03:04Z","timestamp":1785304984000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["\u201cIt\u2019s probably like a web\u201d: complex relationships between pain and mental health among bisexual+ women with chronic pain"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Aster","family":"Harrison","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Disability and Human Development, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago","place":["Chicago, IL, United States"]},{"name":"College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, Thomas Jefferson University","place":["Philadelphia, PA, United States"]},{"name":"Facult\u00e9 des Sciences M\u00e9dicales et Param\u00e9dicales, Centre d\u2019\u00e9tudes et de recherche sur les services de sant\u00e9 et la qualit\u00e9 de vie (CEReSS), Aix-Marseille Universit\u00e9","place":["Marseille, France"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mansha","family":"Mirza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Disability and Human Development, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago","place":["Chicago, IL, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordhb\/9780190067991.013.25","article-title":"Bisexual mental health","volume-title":"Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health","author":"Bostwick","year":"2020"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/pm\/pnae023","article-title":"Localized and widespread chronic pain in sexual and gender minority people\u2014an analysis of the PRIDE study","volume":"25","author":"Chadwick","year":"2024","journal-title":"Pain Med"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm7215a1","article-title":"Chronic pain among adults \u2014 United States, 2019\u20132021","volume":"72","author":"Rikard","year":"2023","journal-title":"MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsxm.2022.03.606","article-title":"Prevalence of chronic pelvic pain by sexual orientation in a large cohort of young women in the United States","volume":"19","author":"Tabaac","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2024.06.017","article-title":"Sexual identity differences in chronic pain: Results from the 2019 to 2021 National Health Interview Survey","volume":"67","author":"VanKim","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am J Prev Med"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/j.pain.0000000000002891","article-title":"Chronic pain among U.S. sexual minority adults who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or \u201csomething else","volume":"164","author":"Zajacova","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pain"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00224499.2017.1387755","article-title":"Prevalence of depression and anxiety among bisexual people compared to gay, lesbian, and heterosexual individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"55","author":"Ross","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Sex Res"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.1007\/s10508-018-1150-6","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis of disparities in the prevalence of suicide ideation and attempt among bisexual populations","volume":"48","author":"Salway","year":"2019","journal-title":"Arch Sex Behav"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.31128\/ajgp-09-19-5073","article-title":"Bisexual mental health and gender diversity: Findings from the \u201cWho I Am\u201d study","volume":"49","author":"Taylor","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aust J Gen Pract"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.1080\/15299716.2022.2116515","article-title":"A quantitative intersectional exploration of sexual violence and mental health among Bi\u2009+\u2009people: Looking within and across race and gender","volume":"22","author":"Flanders","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Bisex"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mayocp.2016.04.029","article-title":"Chronic pain and mental health disorders","volume":"91","author":"Hooten","year":"2016","journal-title":"Mayo Clinic Proc"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ejp.1218","article-title":"Comorbidity between pain and mental illness \u2013 Evidence of a bidirectional relationship","volume":"22","author":"Bondesson","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eur J Pain"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.semarthrit.2020.10.006","article-title":"The prevalence of psychiatric and chronic pain comorbidities in fibromyalgia: An ACTTION systematic review","volume":"51","author":"Kleykamp","year":"2021","journal-title":"Semin Arthritis Rheumatism"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10865-015-9628-3","article-title":"Chronic pain and comorbid mental health conditions: Independent associations of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression with pain, disability, and quality of life","volume":"38","author":"Outcalt","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Behav Med"},{"key":"B15","volume-title":"The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding","year":"2011"},{"key":"B16","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Intimate partner violence in the United States \u2013 2010","author":"Breiding","year":"2014"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"899","DOI":"10.1080\/00224499.2016.1236181","article-title":"Associations of bisexual-specific minority stress and health among cisgender and transgender adults with bisexual orientation","volume":"54","author":"Katz-Wise","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Sex Res"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11930-017-0096-3","article-title":"Bisexuality, minority stress, and health","volume":"9","author":"Feinstein","year":"2017","journal-title":"Curr Sex Health Rep"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.129.5.674","article-title":"Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence","volume":"129","author":"Meyer","year":"2003","journal-title":"psychol Bull"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1745691613497965","article-title":"Minority stress and physical health among sexual minorities","volume":"8","author":"Lick","year":"2013","journal-title":"Perspect psychol Sci"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/intqhc\/mzm042","article-title":"Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): A 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups","volume":"19","author":"Tong","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int J For Qual Health Care"},{"key":"B22","first-page":"232","volume-title":"Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research","author":"Smith","year":"2009"},{"key":"B23","unstructured":"Experiences of bisexual+ women with chronic pain: an interpretive phenomenological analysis\n          \n          \n            \n              Harrison\n              EA\n            \n          \n          10.25417\/uic.21516948.v1\n          University of Illinois Chicago\n          \n          2022"},{"key":"B24","unstructured":"Otter.Ai"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1037\/0000259-000","volume-title":"Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research","author":"Smith","year":"2022"},{"key":"B26","unstructured":"Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis\n          \n          \n          \n          2021"},{"key":"B27","article-title":"Getting great data online workshop session 1: Introduction to Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)","author":"Montague","year":"2020"},{"key":"B28","unstructured":"Atlas.Ti 8 for Windows"},{"key":"B29","unstructured":"What is Sanism\n          \n          \n          \n          2018"},{"key":"B30","first-page":"400","volume-title":"Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick","author":"Dusenbery","year":"2018"},{"key":"B31","first-page":"168","volume-title":"Pain and Prejudice: How the Medical System Ignores Women\u2014and What We can do About it","author":"Jackson","year":"2019"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1080\/13534640110119597","article-title":"The contingency of pain","volume":"8","author":"Ahmed","year":"2002","journal-title":"Parallax"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3828\/jlcds.2014.16","article-title":"Recovering a cripistemology of pain: Leaky bodies, connective tissue, and feeling discourse","volume":"8","author":"Patsavas","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Literary Cult Disability Stud"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"238","DOI":"10.3998\/mpub.309723","volume-title":"Disability Theory","author":"Siebers","year":"2008"},{"key":"B35","article-title":"After decades of declines, lesbian bars are having a renaissance","volume-title":"Nbc News","author":"Berg","year":"2023"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/23780231231181902","article-title":"The changing mix of gay bar subtypes after COVID-19 restrictions in the United States, 2017 to 2023","volume":"9","author":"Mattson","year":"2023","journal-title":"Socius"},{"key":"B37","article-title":"A denial of being: Psychiatrization as epistemic violence","volume-title":"Mad Matters: A Critical Reader in Canadian Mad Studies","author":"Liegghio","year":"2013"},{"key":"B38","first-page":"288","volume-title":"The Suffering Will Not be Televised: African American Women and Sentimental Political Storytelling","author":"Wanzo","year":"2009"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0277-9536(02)00520-8","article-title":"It is hard work behaving as a credible patient: Encounters between women with chronic pain and their doctors","volume":"57","author":"Werner","year":"2003","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.3928\/02793695-20070701-01","article-title":"Chronic pain and mental illness: A double dilemma for all","volume":"45","author":"Dewar","year":"2007","journal-title":"J psy Nurs Ment Health Serv"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1353\/pbm.0.0121","article-title":"The painless brain: Lobotomy, psychiatry, and the treatment of chronic pain and terminal illness","volume":"52","author":"Raz","year":"2009","journal-title":"Perspect Biol Med"},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/1747-5341-9-2","article-title":"The phenomenological-existential comprehension of chronic pain: Going beyond the standing healthcare models","volume":"9","author":"Lima","year":"2014","journal-title":"Philos Ethics Humanit Med"},{"key":"B43","article-title":"Including all our lives: Renewing the social model of disability","volume-title":"Encounters With Strangers: Feminism and Disability","author":"Crow","year":"1996"},{"key":"B44","first-page":"222","volume-title":"The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability","author":"Wendell","year":"1996"},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/hypa.12127","article-title":"The bodymind problem and the possibilities of pain","volume":"30","author":"Price","year":"2015","journal-title":"Hypatia"},{"key":"B46","volume-title":"The logic of accounting: Pain, promises, prescriptions","author":"Patsavas","year":"2017"},{"key":"B47","unstructured":"Working Definition of Ableism\n          \n          \n            \n              Lewis\n              TL\n            \n          \n          \n          2021"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2016.03.009","article-title":"Bisexuality, poverty and mental health: A mixed methods analysis","volume":"156","author":"Ross","year":"2016","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.4135\/9781483384740.n3","article-title":"Feminist standpoints","volume-title":"Handbook of Feminist Research: Theory and Praxis","author":"Harding","year":"2012"},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/423352","article-title":"Feminist disability studies","volume":"30","author":"Garland-Thomson","year":"2005","journal-title":"Signs: J Women Cult Soc"},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctt1t898sg.13","article-title":"Psycho-emotional disablism, complex trauma, and women\u2019s mental distress","volume-title":"Madness, Distress, and the Politics of Disablement","author":"Briggs","year":"2015"},{"key":"B52","first-page":"64","article-title":"What makes us a community? Reflections on building solidarity in anti-sanist praxis","volume-title":"Mad Matters: A Critical Reader in Canadian Mad Studies","author":"Diamond","year":"2013"},{"key":"B53","article-title":"The haunting can end: Trauma-informed approaches in healing from abuse and adversity","volume-title":"Searching for a Rose Garden: Challenging Psychiatry, Fostering Mad Studies","author":"Filson","year":"2016"},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctt1t898sg.12","article-title":"Psycho-emotional disablism in the lives of people experiencing mental distress","volume-title":"Madness, Distress, and the Politics of Disablement","author":"Reeve","year":"2015"},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2018.03.015","article-title":"Discrimination hurts: The effect of discrimination on the development of chronic pain","volume":"204","author":"Brown","year":"2018","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0164430","article-title":"Attitudes toward bisexual men and women among a nationally representative probability sample of adults in the United States","volume":"11","author":"Dodge","year":"2016","journal-title":"PloS One"},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/vio0000275","article-title":"Dimensions of sexual orientation and rates of intimate partner violence among young sexual minority individuals assigned female at birth: The role of perceived partner jealousy","volume":"10","author":"Dyar","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychol Viol"},{"key":"B58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260519888209","article-title":"An experimental investigation of victim blaming in sexual assault: The roles of victim sexual orientation, coercion type, and stereotypes about bisexual women","volume":"36","author":"Dyar","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Interpers Viol"},{"key":"B59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2009.08.017","article-title":"Traumatic experiences, major life stressors, and self-reporting a physician-given fibromyalgia diagnosis","volume":"177","author":"Haviland","year":"2010","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res"},{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chiabu.2006.12.007","article-title":"Childhood abuse, chronic pain, and depression in the National Comorbidity Survey","volume":"31","author":"Sachs-Ericsson","year":"2007","journal-title":"Child Abuse Negl"},{"key":"B61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"295","DOI":"10.1111\/ppc.12093","article-title":"Chronic pain and PTSD: Evolving views on their comorbidity","volume":"51","author":"Brennstuhl","year":"2015","journal-title":"Perspect Psychiatr Care"},{"key":"B62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1213\/ANE.0000000000006922","article-title":"Characterizing chronic pain and adverse childhood experiences in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer community","volume":"139","author":"Shirsat","year":"2024","journal-title":"Anesth Analgesia"},{"key":"B63","unstructured":"A Look at Collective Trauma and Collective Healing\n          \n          \n            \n              Huxta\n              A\n            \n          \n          \n          2021"},{"key":"B64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/hypa.12248","article-title":"The pain of endo existence: Toward a feminist disability studies reading of endometriosis","volume":"31","author":"Jones","year":"2016","journal-title":"Hypatia"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychiatry"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1811843\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T06:03:09Z","timestamp":1785304989000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1811843\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]]},"references-count":64,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1811843"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1811843","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-0640"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-0640","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]]},"article-number":"1811843"}}