Objective: The purpose of the present study was to assess distal (i.e., stigma consciousness) and proximal (i.e., internalized homophobia, identity concealment) minority stressors as predictors of sexual intimate partner violence (S-IPV) victimization and perpetration among LGBQ+ U.S. college students, as well as the extent to which hazardous alcohol use and social support moderated these relationships. Method: A crosssectional research design was utilized in a sample of LGBQ+ U.S. college students (n = 1,221) across 20 institutions of higher education who completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling with moderation was used to evaluate if the association between minority stressors and S-IPV victimization and perpetration were moderated by hazardous alcohol use and social support. Results: Social support was unrelated to both S-IPV victimization and perpetration. Hazardous alcohol use was related to S-IPV victimization, but not S-IPV perpetration. Whereas minority stress had a direct effect on S-IPV victimization, there were no direct effects of minority stress on S-IPV perpetration. However, at higher levels of hazardous drinking, indicators of minority stress were related to both S-IPV victimization and perpetration. Conversely, at lower levels of hazardous drinking, minority stress was unrelated to S-IPV victimization and perpetration. Conclusion: S-IPV prevention efforts for LGBQ+ college students should focus on reducing minority stress and hazardous drinking. Future research is also needed to identify additional factors, not measured in the present study, that increase the risk for S-IPV among LGBQ+ college students.
Research suggests that Indigenous girls, women, and LGBTQ+ Two-Spirit people experience disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), but there is a dearth of research on IPV among Indigenous college students. Therefore, the current study sought to explore rates of IPV victimization and perpetration among Indigenous college students, as well as correlates including depressive and anxious symptoms, emotion dysregulation, on-campus social support, and hazardous drinking. Participants were 230 undergraduate students who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native attending 20 medium- and large-sized universities across the contiguous U.S. Results indicated that 28.9% of Indigenous students reported any type of IPV victimization in the past 6 months (psychological: 24.5%; physical: 9.1%; sexual: 9.8%; coercive control: 12.4%). Further, 18.3% of Indigenous students reported any type of IPV perpetration in the past 6 months (psychological: 16.9%; physical: 4.5%; sexual: 2.6%; coercive control: 7.1%). Anxious and depressive symptoms were related to many forms of IPV victimization; emotion dysregulation was related to all forms of IPV victimization and sexual IPV perpetration; and hazardous drinking was related to most forms of IPV victimization and perpetration. These findings underscore the alarmingly high rates of IPV among Indigenous college students as well as the potential deleterious effects of IPV victimization on psychological functioning, as well as the need to concurrently address hazardous alcohol use in IPV prevention and response efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic represents a “perfect storm” with regards to risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). Abusive partners may engage in novel forms of coercive control, such as pressuring their partner to engage in activities associated with COVID-19 infection risk (e.g., attend a large gathering). However, no empirical research has focused on COVID-specific coercive control. The current study sought to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-specific coercive control in a large sample of U.S. college students, as well as its association with other forms of IPV and depression and anxiety. A total of 2,289 undergraduate students attending eight U.S. universities who were currently in a sexual/dating/romantic relationship completed an online survey in Fall 2020 about COVID-specific coercive control, other forms of IPV (psychological, physical, sexual, coercive control) and depression and anxiety symptoms. Overall, 15.5% ( n = 355) of students reported experiencing COVID-specific coercive control. Individuals who experienced COVID-specific coercive control were more likely to have experienced all other forms of IPV than those who did not experience COVID-specific coercive control. Further, individuals who experienced COVID-specific coercive control had significantly greater anxiety than individuals who did not experience any form of IPV. Individuals who experienced both COVID-specific coercive control and other forms of IPV had the highest levels of depression and anxiety. COVID-specific coercive control may serve to increase depression and anxiety, particularly if it co-occurs with other forms of IPV. Future work should evaluate the prevalence and long-term impact of coercive control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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