The Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence among LGBTQ College Youth: The Role of Minority Stress

• Published in: Journal of youth and adolescence Vol. 42; no. 11; pp. 1721 - 1731
• Main Authors: Edwards, Katie M., Sylaska, Kateryna M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.11.2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Attitude to Health; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Bisexuality - statistics & numerical data; Child and School Psychology; Child development; Clinical Psychology; College students; Comorbidity; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Domestic partners; Domestic violence; Drug use; Empirical Research; Family Violence; Female; Gays & lesbians; Health Psychology; Heterosexuality; History of Psychology; Homosexuality, Female - statistics & numerical data; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Identity; Interpersonal Relations; Law and Psychology; Learning Theories; LGBTQ people; Male; Minority Groups - statistics & numerical data; Perceptions; Prevention; Psychological Distress; Psychological Stress; Psychology; Risk-Taking; Sexual Identity; Sexual orientation; Sexual Partners; Sexuality; Sexuality - statistics & numerical data; Spouse Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Stigma; Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Transgender persons; Transsexualism - epidemiology; Victimization; Victims; Victims of crime; Young Adult; Youth; Dating violence; Gay/lesbian/bisexual; Sexual minority; Minority stress; Internalized homonegativity
• ISSN: 0047-2891; 1573-6601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10964-012-9880-6

Preliminary research suggests that partner violence is a problem among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) college youth. However, there is no study to date with college youth on the factors associated with perpetration of same-sex partner violence, which is needed to inform prevention efforts specific to this population. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to assess how facets of minority stress (i.e., sexual-orientation-related victimization, sexual minority stigma, internalized homonegativity, sexual identity concealment) relate to physical, sexual, and psychological partner violence perpetration among LGBTQ college youth ( N  = 391; 49 % identified as men; 72 % Caucasian; M age: 20.77 years). At the bivariate level, physical perpetration was related to identity concealment and internalized homonegativity; sexual perpetration was related to internalized homonegativity; and psychological perpetration was related to sexual-orientation-related victimization. However, at the multivariate level (after controlling for concurrent victimization), psychological perpetration was unrelated to minority stress variables, whereas physical and sexual perpetration were both related to internalized homonegativity; physical perpetration was also related to identity concealment. These results underscore the utility of understanding partner violence among LGBTQ youth through a minority stress framework. Moreover, the current study highlights the need for a better understanding of factors that mediate and moderate the relationship between minority stress and partner violence perpetration among LGBTQ youth in order to inform prevention and intervention efforts.