top of page

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

BI-STAR

Principal Investigator: Dr. Brian Feinstein

The goal of this project is to understand how stress and trauma influence mental health, substance use, and relationship functioning over time among bi+ people.

BISTAR Final Transparent.png

COMPLETED RESEARCH PROJECTS

B*SMART: An online sex education program for bisexual, pansexual, and queer male youth ages 14-17

Principal Investigator: Dr. Brian Feinstein
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse (K08DA045575)

The goal of this project was to develop and pilot test an online intervention to increase sexual health knowledge and to decrease sexual risk behavior (including substance use) among bisexual, pansexual, and queer male youth ages 14-17. The feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the intervention (compared to a waitlist control condition) was tested in a pilot randomized clinical trial with 60 participants.

BSMART Logo - Alone Transparent.png

The Bi+ Youth Project

Principal Investigator: Dr. Brian Feinstein
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse (K08DA045575)

The goal of this project was to learn about factors that drive engagement in sexual risk behavior and substance use among bisexual, pansexual, and queer male youth ages 14-17. This was accomplished using a mixed-methods approach, which included surveying and interviewing 60 participants about their sexual orientation, sexual decision-making, motivations for substance use, and intervention preferences. Data from this project were used to inform the development of a sex education program tailored to the unique needs of this population (described above).

Bi+ Youth Project

Select Publications:

Mata, D., Korpak, A. K., Macaulay, T., Dodge, B., Mustanski, B., & Feinstein, B. A. (2022). Substance use experiences among bisexual, pansexual, and queer (bi+) male youth: A qualitative study of motivations, consequences, and decision making. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02447-9

Mata, D., Korpak, A. K., Sorensen, B. L., Dodge, B., Mustanski, B., & Feinstein, B. A. (Accepted/In press). A mixed methods study of sexuality education experiences and preferences among bisexual, pansexual, and queer (bi+) male youth. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00593-8

Wang, A. Y., & Feinstein, B. A. (2020). The perks of being bi+: Positive sexual orientation–related experiences among bisexual, pansexual, and queer male youth. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000459

The Bi+ Visibility Project

Principal Investigator: Dr. Brian Feinstein
Co-Investigators: Drs. Joanne Davila 
and
 Christina Dyar 
Funders: The American Psychological Foundation and

the Sexualities Project at Northwestern

The goal of this project was to learn about bisexual, pansexual, and queer (“bi+”) people’s attempts to make their sexual identity visible to others (referred to as visibility attempts).

Bi+ Visibility
Project

Select Publications:

Dyar, C., Feinstein, B. A., Bettin, E., & Davila, J. (2022). Bisexual+ visibility attempts: Associations with minority stress, affect, and substance use in a daily diary study. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 9, 201–213. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000469

Feinstein, B. A., Dyar, C., Poon, J., Goodman, F. R., & Davila, J. (2022). The affective consequences of minority stress among bisexual, pansexual, and queer (bi+) adults: A daily diary study. Behavior Therapy, 53, 571-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2022.01.013

Vilkin, E., Davila, J., Dyar, C., & Feinstein, B. A. (2022). Bi+ adults’ daily wellbeing: The roles of relationship status and partner gender. Personal Relationships, 29, 283-304. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12418

Davila, J., Feinstein, B. A., Dyar, C., & Jabbour, J. (2021). How, when, and why do bisexual+ individuals attempt to make their identity visible? Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 8, 94–105. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000411

Feinstein, B. A., Xavier Hall, C. D., Dyar, C., & Davila, J. (2020). Motivations for sexual identity concealment and their associations with mental health among bisexual, pansexual, queer, and fluid (bi+) individuals. Journal of Bisexuality, 20, 324–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2020.1743402

bottom of page