Family Violence Within LGBTQ Communities in Australia: Intersectional Experiences and Associations with Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

Background While prior research has documented intimate partner violence (IPV) and family of origin violence (FOV) experienced by LGBTQ communities at rates at least comparable to heterosexual and/or cisgender populations, little knowledge exists of how this experience occurs within intersections of these communities and who is most at risk. Methods This study utilised data from a from a large nationwide Australian survey of the health and wellbeing of 6835 LGBTQ adults aged 18 + years. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify individual factors associated with reporting ever having experienced FOV or IPV. Results In total, 2675 (43.18%) participants reported ever experiencing FOV and 3716 (60.7%) reported ever experiencing IPV. Non-binary people, cisgender women, and trans men were most likely to have experienced FOV. Non-binary people and cisgender women were most likely to experience IPV. Participants aged 55 + years (compared to 18–24 years) were less likely to have experienced FOV, while the likelihood of experiencing IPV increased with age. Education was associated with both FOV and IPV (highest among the non-university tertiary educated). Having a moderate or severe disability and ever experiencing homelessness were associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing FOV and IPV. Recent experiences of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and high/very high psychological distress were associated with experiences of FOV and IPV. Conclusions This new knowledge regarding the factors that identify LGBTQ people at greater risk of family or intimate partner violence can ensure the tailoring of family violence practice and policy to those most in need.

A Systematic Review of Interventions Addressing the Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women With Disability

“…The available literature, for example, ignores the experiences of trans and gender diverse people, both in relation to violence and intervention effectiveness. Despite evidence that trans and gender diverse people experience high rates of violence and abuse and face specific forms of discrimination across multiple social contexts ( Amos et al, 2023 ), research on violence against women remains largely reliant on a cisgender paradigm.…”

Assessing primary health care provider and organization readiness to address family violence in Alberta, Canada: development of a Delphi consensus readiness tool

“…The immediate and cumulative effects of violence significantly impact the health and well-being of families and society as a whole [ 20 , 21 ]. Family violence is associated with long-lasting consequences for physical and mental health in individuals experiencing violence including survivors, perpetrators, and their children [ 1 , 22 – 27 ] resulting in the increased use of health services by all patient groups affected by violence [ 28 , 29 ]. Women exposed to physical violence are shown to have higher mental healthcare utilization compared to women who never had experienced such violence [ 30 ].…”

“…social acceptability of family violence) [ 46 ], strong biomedical approaches, high staff turnover, absence of family violence training or skills, ethnic practices of patients, feeling overwhelmed by the emotional nature of the work or their own experience with violence and abuse, the presence of the patients’ partners [ 46 – 48 ], and limited resources for the implementation of family violence interventions [ 37 , 49 – 51 ]. Existing evidence suggests that Indigenous peoples, ethnic minority women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, asexual, queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S) identifying people often avoid seeking support from healthcare providers because of feelings of mistrust and fear toward service providers [ 27 , 52 , 53 ]. This is concerning, given the vital role healthcare providers have in responding to family violence and the poor health outcomes associated with violence.…”