What is LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)?

Author(s):  
Adam M. Messinger

This chapter synthesizes research on the nature of LGBTQ IPV, including the tactics comprising and the prevalence of each form of IPV (psychological, physical, and sexual IPV, along with intimate-partner homicide), its directionality (i.e., how common it is that one or both partners in a relationship uses IPV tactics, as well as how motivations like self-defense color the so-called mutual-battering debate), where and when it occurs, and outcomes for victims. Where possible, estimates within LGBTQ populations are broken down by sexual orientation, gender identity, trans*-cisgender identity, race and ethnicity, age, and nationality. Comparisons are likewise drawn between sexual minority and heterosexual victims as well as between trans* and cisgender victims. Given that methodological differences have the potential to substantially impact results, an effort is made to largely make apples-to-apples comparisons between similar studies (such as by comparing studies using the same IPV lifetime victimization time frame), and IPV frequency findings are divided into those emerging from probability versus non-probability sampled studies. Quantitative data in this chapter, as well as throughout the book, is leaned on for population estimates, which is then repeatedly contextualized with high-detail qualitative data. The chapter concludes with implications for future policy, practice, and research.

Author(s):  
Adam M. Messinger

This chapter invites readers into the hidden world of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer (LGBTQ) people. It begins by debunking common myths of LGBTQ IPV, myths that have been shaped in part by homophobia, transphobia, and a historic emphasis on heterosexual-cisgender (HC) relationships in the global IPV-prevention movement. Unfortunately, even today, these myths contribute to systemic failings in how LGBTQ IPV is addressed throughout the world. Collectively, these myths and the lack of concrete support for LGBTQ victims have rendered LGBTQ IPV largely invisible. This chapter—and, indeed, the book—contends that many answers to this problem actually already exist in research, if only they could be extracted. With this in mind, the goal of this book is to comprehensively review the past forty years of LGBTQ IPV English-language research from throughout the world—the first book to do so. Just as significantly, the book mines this literature for evidence-based tips regarding future policy, practice, and research, tips that are shared at the close of each chapter. This introductory chapter concludes with a brief guide to the upcoming chapters and the terminology used throughout the book.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin J. Lewis ◽  
Amana Carvalho ◽  
Valerian J. Derlega ◽  
Barbara A. Winstead ◽  
Claudia Viggiano

Author(s):  
Adam M. Messinger

Many nations today recognize intimate partner violence (IPV) in romantic-sexual relationships as a major public health threat, yet not all victims are treated equally. Contrary to myths, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer (LGBTQ) people are more likely to experience IPV than heterosexual-cisgender people. Unfortunately, LGBTQ victims face major barriers to reaching safety in a world that too often stigmatizes their identities and overlooks their relationships when forming victim services and policies. Offering a roadmap forward, LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence: Lessons for Policy, Practice, and Research is the first book to synthesize nearly all existing research from the past forty years on this pressing issue. At once highly organized and engaging, it provides evidence-based tips for academic and nonacademic audiences alike.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122098834
Author(s):  
Kirk R. Williams ◽  
Richard Stansfield ◽  
Jacquelyn Campbell

This study seeks to determine the concurrent and predictive validity of a dual risk assessment protocol. It combines the risk of persistence in intimate partner violence (IPV) measured via the Domestic Violence Screening Instrument–Revised (DVSI-R) with supplemental items from the Danger Risk Assessment (DRA) bearing on the risk of potential lethality. We further test whether this assessment protocol reproduces disparities by race and ethnicity found in the larger population. Using a sample of 4,665 IPV male defendants with a female victim, analyses support both types of criterion validity. The DRA risk score is associated with felony charges, incarceration at the initial arrest, and the frequency of subsequent dangerous behavior. Results also suggest minimal predictive bias or disparate impact by race and ethnicity. Incorporating supplemental items bearing on potential lethality risk adds important information concerning the risk management strategies of those involved in IPV.


Author(s):  
Gary W. Harper ◽  
Jessica Crawford ◽  
Katherine Lewis ◽  
Caroline Rucah Mwochi ◽  
Gabriel Johnson ◽  
...  

Background: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people in Kenya face pervasive socio-cultural and structural discrimination. Persistent stress stemming from anti-SGM stigma and prejudice may place SGM individuals at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. This study explored experiences with violence (intimate partner violence and SGM-based violence), mental health outcomes (psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and depressive symptoms), alcohol and other substance use, and prioritization of community needs among SGM adults in Western Kenya. Methods: This study was conducted by members of a collaborative research partnership between a U.S. academic institution and a Kenyan LGBTQ civil society organization (CSO). A convenience sample of 527 SGM adults (92.7% ages 18–34) was recruited from community venues to complete a cross-sectional survey either on paper or through an online secure platform. Results: For comparative analytic purposes, three sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) groups were created: (1) cisgender sexual minority women (SMW; 24.9%), (2) cisgender sexual minority men (SMM; 63.8%), and (3) gender minority individuals (GMI; 11.4%). Overall, 11.7% of participants reported clinically significant levels of psychological distress, 53.2% reported clinically significant levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and 26.1% reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. No statistically significant differences in clinical levels of these mental health concerns were detected across SOGI groups. Overall, 76.2% of participants reported ever using alcohol, 45.6% home brew, 43.5% tobacco, 39.1% marijuana, and 27.7% miraa or khat. Statistically significant SOGI group differences on potentially problematic substance use revealed that GMI participants were less likely to use alcohol and tobacco daily; and SMM participants were more likely to use marijuana daily. Lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) was reported by 42.5% of participants, and lifetime SGM-based violence (SGMV) was reported by 43.4%. GMI participants were more likely than other SOGI groups to have experienced both IPV and SGMV. Participants who experienced SGMV had significantly higher rates of clinically significant depressive and PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Despite current resilience demonstrated by SGM adults in Kenya, there is an urgent need to develop and deliver culturally appropriate mental health services for this population. Given the pervasiveness of anti-SGM violence, services should be provided using trauma-informed principles, and be sensitive to the lived experiences of SGM adults in Kenya. Community and policy levels interventions are needed to decrease SGM-based stigma and violence, increase SGM visibility and acceptance, and create safe and affirming venues for mental health care. Political prioritization of SGM mental health is needed for sustainable change.


Partner Abuse ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosaura E. Orengo-Aguayo ◽  
Erika Lawrence

Research on physically victimized women’s aggression has focused on distal predictors and correlates of aggression and on women’s self-reported motivations for their aggression. The absence of examinations of contextual predictors of women’s intimate partner violence has resulted in a limited understanding of the proximal circumstances in which physically victimized women perpetrate aggression. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the situational contexts in which physically victimized women use physical aggression in their relationships by analyzing a detailed narrative of a specific violent episode. Women were significantly more likely to use physical aggression under the following conditions: (a) when they were the first to initiate the physical aggression; (b) when their partners engaged in either moderate or severe violence as opposed to extremely severe physical violence; (c) when their partners were sober as opposed to drunk or high; and (d) when they were experiencing a specific emotion as opposed to a combination of emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness. Women’s motivations for being aggressive were moderated by their partners’ severity of aggression. When men perpetrated moderate physical aggression, women’s aggression was largely emotion-driven. When men engaged in severe physical aggression, women’s physical aggression was motivated by a combination of wanting to retaliate and emotional arousal. When men engaged in extremely severe physical aggression, there was a trend for women’s physical aggression to be motivated primarily by self-defense. These results suggest that the context of a specific argument is important in understanding why physically victimized women perpetrate aggression.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Counselman-Carpenter ◽  
Alex Redcay

This theoretical paper explores the need to use posttraumatic growth (PTG) as a framework when studying sexual minority women (SMW) who are survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) to examine the relationship between risk factors such as stress, anxiety and alcohol use and to understand the role of protective factors through mining for the presence of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Despite a call for continued research in this highly vulnerable population, representative studies of SMW and PTG remain extremely limited. Research that examines the relationship between IPV, behavioral health issues, and posttraumatic growth would provide the opportunity to develop tailored intervention models and opportunities for program development to decrease isolation and increase factors of posttraumatic growth. In particular, the impact of how interpersonal relationships as potential mediators and/or outcomes of posttraumatic growth (PTG) needs to be explored more thoroughly. PTG is a valuable framework for vulnerable populations such as sexual minority women because it focuses on how transformative change may result from traumatic experiences such as surviving IPV.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 572-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. Sutter ◽  
Annie E. Rabinovitch ◽  
Michael A. Trujillo ◽  
Paul B. Perrin ◽  
Lisa D. Goldberg ◽  
...  

This study explored patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and perpetration in 150 sexual minority women (SMW): 25.3% had been sexually victimized, 34% physically victimized, 76% psychologically victimized, and 29.3% suffered an IPV-related injury. A latent class analysis found four behavioral patterns: (1) minor-only psychological perpetration and victimization; (2) no IPV; (3) minor–severe psychological, physical assault, and injury victimization, and minor-only psychological, physical, and injury perpetration; and (4) severe psychological, sexual, physical assault, and injury victimization and perpetration. Individuals who experienced and/or perpetrated all types experienced the greatest heterosexism at work, school, and in other contexts.


2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Kurdyla ◽  
Adam M. Messinger ◽  
Milka Ramirez

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against transgender individuals is highly prevalent and impactful, and thus research is needed to examine the extent to which survivors are able to reach needed assistance and safety. To our knowledge, no U.S.-based quantitative studies have explored transgender utilization patterns and perceptions regarding a broad range of help-giving resources (HGRs). The present article fills this gap in the literature by exploring help-seeking attitudes and behaviors of a convenience sample of 92 transgender adults and 325 cisgender sexual minority adults in the United States. Results from an online questionnaire indicate that, among the subsample experiencing IPV ( n = 187), help-seeking rates were significantly higher among transgender survivors (84.1%) than cisgender sexual minority survivors (67.1%). In addition, transgender survivors most commonly sought help from friends (76.7%), followed by mental health care providers (39.5%) and family (30.2%), whereas formal HGRs such as police, IPV telephone hotlines, and survivor shelters had low utilization rates. Among all transgender participants, IPV survivors were significantly less likely than nonsurvivors to perceive family, medical doctors, and survivor hotlines as helpful HGRs for other survivors in general. Finally, transgender survivors were significantly less likely than nonsurvivors to self-report a willingness to disclose any future IPV to family. Although replication with larger, probability samples is needed, these findings suggest that friends often represent the primary line of defense for transgender survivors seeking help, and thus bystander intervention trainings and education should be adapted to address not just cisgender but also transgender IPV. Furthermore, because most formal HGR types appear to be underutilized and perceived more negatively by transgender survivors, renewed efforts are needed to tailor services, service advertising, and provider trainings to the needs of transgender communities. Directions for future research are reviewed.


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