Intimate Partner Violence Help-Seeking in the U.S. Transgender Survey

• Published in: Journal of homosexuality Vol. 69; no. 6; pp. 1042 - 1065
• Main Authors: Messinger, Adam M., Kurdyla, Victoria, Guadalupe-Diaz, Xavier L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 12.05.2022; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: American Indians; Asexuality; Bisexuality; Childlessness; demographic; Demographic change; Domestic violence; Help seeking behavior; help-seeking; Homeless people; Indigenous peoples; Intimate partner violence; Non-binary gender; Polls & surveys; shelters; Sociodemographics; Survivor; Transgender persons; transphobia; Victims; Women; United States > US; help-seeking; transphobia; intimate partner violence; Transgender; domestic violence; shelters; demographic
• ISSN: 0091-8369; 1540-3602
• DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2021.1901506

Research finds that transgender survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) often face transphobia-related barriers to reaching help. Due partially to a dearth of larger datasets supporting multivariate analyses, it is unclear whether sociodemographic factors can further hinder transgender help-seeking. Addressing these gaps, logistic regression secondary data analyses were conducted with 15,198 transgender IPV survivors from the nationally-representative 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Odds of seeking help from survivor agencies were significantly greater for survivors who are trans men, assigned-female-at-birth genderqueer, Alaska Native or American Indian, poorer, transphobia victims, and victims of any IPV type, especially controlling IPV. In addition, odds of not seeking help due fearing transphobic responses were significantly greater for survivors who are trans women, asexual or bisexual, poorer, younger, undocumented, childless, ever homeless, transphobia victims, or victims of any IPV type, particularly sexual IPV. Implications for future research and population-specific service provision are discussed.