Minority Stress and Intimate Partner Violence Among Gay and Bisexual Men in Atlanta

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) rates are disproportionately high among sexual minority populations. Few studies have examined the plausible relationship between minority stress and IPV among men who have sex with men. This study examines the associations between IPV and three indicators of minority stress: internalized homophobia, sexuality-based discrimination, and racism, in a large venue-based sample of gay and bisexual men from Atlanta, USA. Each of the minority stress measures was found to be significantly associated with increased odds of self-reporting any form of receipt of IPV. Significant associations were also identified between perpetration of IPV and minority stressors, with most types of IPV perpetration linked to internalized homophobia. This study confirms findings in a growing body of research supporting the relationship between minority stress and increased prevalence of IPV among men who have sex with men, and points to the need to address structural factors in IPV prevention programs for male–male couples.

Association between stigma towards HIV and MSM and intimate partner violence among newly HIV-diagnosed Chinese men who have sex with men

“…Sexual minority MSM who are acutely aware of stigma (high stigma consciousness) may fear discrimination and negative treatment from others in the community, limiting accessing resources or seeking outside help [30]. Previous studies have identified the relationship between IPV and internalized homophobia, homophobic discrimination among MSM [38,39], European American lesbian and bisexual women [40], gay and lesbian [30], and gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people [41]. The association between stigma and IPV also can be elucidated since stigma consciousness is positively correlated with depression [42,43], which is strongly associated with IPV [5,[44][45][46][47].…”

Concept Mapping: Engaging Urban Men to Understand Community Influences on Partner Violence Perpetration

“…Lack of community resources (e.g., re-entry programs, schools, community centers) (78) Hustling to get money (17) Lack of access to a lawyer of choice (29) Strict sentencing in Maryland (36) Lack of trust in police 40The negative effects of lead poisoning (41) Abuse or fear of abuse from police officers (42) Reputation of aggression in Baltimore 59Anger/tension experienced by community members and police from current issues in community (64) Police do what they want (i.e., illegal stopping and searching) (68) Dealing drugs (75)…”

“…Young men victimized by past-year community violence in Johannesburg, Delhi, and Baltimore were more likely to perpetrate IPV within this timeframe; however, the effect was much greater among men in Baltimore (OR = 7.00) compared to men in Johannesburg (OR = 2.82) and Delhi (OR = 4.08), seeming to suggest greater community influence in Fig. 1 The influence of community-level risk factors on IPV perpetration and stress [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Baltimore given the variance across sites [31]. Among a sample of young Black men, ages 18-29, attitudes favorable of IPV perpetration were mediated by neighborhood violence and poor conflict resolution among intimate partners [40].…”

“…Socio-ecological factors such as adverse childhood experiences, witnessing abuse as a child, cultural norms related to manhood and acceptability of violence, and participating in community violence have been linked to IPV perpetration among men in adulthood [15,[22][23][24][25][26]. Central to violence perpetration is the construct of stress, also associated with community-driven factors such as discrimination [27][28][29], neighborhood disorder [30], and other neighborhood related stressors like fighting for survival [28,31], criminal justice involvement [32,33], neighborhood poverty [34][35][36][37], and individual financial strain [36][37][38] (Fig. 1).…”

The mediating role of self-stigma and self-efficacy between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and depression among men who have sex with men in China

“…This is crucial for developing effective interventions to maintain and promote mental health of IPV victims. Lifetime IPV victimization among MSM was strongly associated with self-stigma against sexual minority status, which involves a process of incorporating negative societal views of homosexuality into the self-concept [8,9]. According to the minority stress theory [10,11], sexual minority people in a heterosexual society are subjected to chronic stress related to their stigmatization, such as self-stigma and perceived stigma, which are prominent determinants of mental health for minority populations.…”