When Intimate Partner Violence Meets Same Sex Couples: A Review of Same Sex Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the causes of and intervention for intimate partner violence (IPV) have been approached and studied. This paper presents a narrative review on IPV occurring in same sex couples, that is, same sex IPV (SSIPV). Despite the myth that IPV is exclusively an issue in heterosexual relationships, many studies have revealed the existence of IPV among lesbian and gay couples, and its incidence is comparable to (Turell, 2000) or higher than that among heterosexual couples (Messinger, 2011; Kelley et al., 2012). While similarities between heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) IPV were found, unique features and dynamics were present in LGB IPV. Such features are mainly related to identification and treatment of SSIPV in the community and to the need of taking into consideration the role of sexual minority stressors. Our findings show there is a lack of studies that address LGB individuals involved in IPV; this is mostly due to the silence that has historically existed around violence in the LGB community, a silence built on fears and myths that have obstructed a public discussion on the phenomenon. We identified the main themes discussed in the published studies that we have reviewed here. The reviews lead us to the conclusion that it is essential to create a place where this subject can be freely discussed and approached, both by LGB and heterosexual people.

The medicolegal, psycho-criminological, and epidemiological reality of intimate partner and non-intimate partner femicide in North-West Italy: looking backwards to see forwards

“…If the aim is to tackle IPV at its bud, then attention should be devoted to the risk processes that foster a proviolence attitude [ 29 ], the exploitation of women [ 30 ], and interpersonal violence between heterosexual intimate partners [ 31 ] and between same sex couples [ 32 ]. In some instances, femicide is followed by familicide [ 33 ] and by the suicide of the perpetrator [ 34 ].…”

Violencia en la pareja en jóvenes mexicanos del mismo sexo: Un estudio exploratorio

“…Consecuencia de lo anterior se ve reflejado principalmente en índoles legales, puesto que al proceder a una denuncia, una persona homosexual puede sentirse propensa a sufrir revictimización por discriminación a su orientación sexual o bien se pueden encontrar ante la falta de organismos que proveen atención y orientación a víctimas homosexuales (Barrientos, Rodríguez-Carballeira, Escartín y Longares, 2016;Brown, 2008: González et al, 2016Murray y Mobley, 2009;Pattavina, Hirsche, Buzawa, Faggiani y Bentley, 2007;Rollé et al, 2018;Zavala-Flores et al, 2019). Estos aspectos son los que han llegado a dificultar que una pareja homosexual no disponga del apoyo social (Parry y O'Neal, 2015;Soriano, 2000).…”

“…En ese sentido, Carratalá (2016) sugiere que las parejas lésbicas y gay siguen pautas conductuales similares a las relaciones heterosexuales en cuanto a relaciones de poder y desigualdad, originando así roles de dominante y subordinado. Estos roles podrían estar coadyuvando en el desarrollo de la violencia en el noviazgo en parejas del mismo sexo, aunque también se ha encontrado una asociación significativa entre la violencia ejercida y la exposición de modelos de comportamiento violento en el hogar (Ronzón-Tirado et al, 2017).…”

Attitudes of Italian Group Toward Homosexuality and Same-Sex Parenting

“…Same-sex parenting refers to gay, lesbian or bisexual people raising their children as parents or as foster-care parents (Gross, 2003) and the studies on this field have considered since the origin the parental skills of homosexuals (Bigner & Jacobsen, 1989;Flaks, Ficher, Masterpasqua, & Joseph, 1995;Harris & Turner, 1986;Kirkpatrick, Smith, & Roy, 1981;Miller, Jacobsen, & Bigner, 1981;Mucklow & Phelan, 1979;Siegenthaler & Bigner, 2000), the developmental outcomes of children raised with homosexual parents (Massey, Merriwheter, & Garcia, 2013), and the attitudes towards same sex couples/families and their intimate relations (Rollè, Giardina, Caldarera, Gerino, & Brustia, 2018). Several reviews and meta-analyses concerning the latter have been performed to analyze Attitude is a psychological tendency, expressed by an evaluation of an entity in a favorable or unfavorable way.…”