Intersecting identities and IPV: The impact of sexual and gender minority stressors on intimate partner violence victimization across racial groups

Abstract

Previous research has found that sexual and gender minority People of Color (SGM-POC) report higher rates of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) victimization than White SGM. In a sample of AFAB SGM people, Whitton et al. (2021) found that sexual minority stressors, adverse childhood experiences, and structural inequalities partially explain this disparity. This study replicates Whitton et al.’s study in a sample with greater sexual and gender diversity and extends the study by examining additional SGM stressors as potential mediators. We used data from a large, nationally-recruited sample of same-sex couples to test the indirect effect of race on IPV victimization (physical, psychological, and sexual measured using the SGM Conflict Tactics Scale-2) via several forms of SGM stress (measured using the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire): discrimination, family-of-origin stress, gender presentation harassment, isolation, vicarious SGM stress, and vigilance; internalized stigma (measured using the Internalized Homophobia Scale-Revised), and low social support (measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Of the 474 participants, 214 (45.1%) were cisgender women, 67 (14.1%) were cisgender men, and 193 (40.7%) were gender minority individuals. Regarding race, n=343 (72.4%) identified as White only, n=78 (16.5%) identified as Black or African American, n=59 identified as Hispanic or Latine, n=24 (5.1%) identified as Asian. Using multilevel logistic regression to account for the nesting of individuals within couples, this study found that race showed no significant relationship between SGM stress, internalized stigma, and low social support to IPV victimization. Future research is needed to refine the measures used to assess SGM stress, internalized stigma, and low social support