Violence in intimate relationship between women. Integrative literature review

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widely portrayed from a heterosexual point of view, and there are few representations of violence in homosexual intimacy. This article analyzes the literature on intimate partner violence in relationships between women who have sex with women. Methodologically, the study corresponds to an integrative literature review that analyzed 60 articles published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, available in the SCIELO databases; CAPES journals; Virtual Health Library; Redalyc and Dialnet, published between 2012-2019. The findings are analyzed descriptively using an instrument developed by the authors, called the review protocol. The results are presented into five categories that discuss cultural aspects related to IPV in this population. 1st) Gender; 2nd) Intergenerational violence; 3rd) Minority stress; 4th) Substance abuse and 5th) Barriers to coping with IPV, which show the intergenerational influence on intimate violence and that gender stereotypes make intimate violence between women invisible by making them think of themselves as non-aggressors at the same time. Women are crossed by intersectionalities that accentuate the stress experienced by being a sexual minority, and the barriers to coping with IPV involve the State's lack of preparation to deal with non-heterosexual IPV.