This article presents a review of the published literature to date on rates, experiences, and correlates of victims' disclosure of or help seeking for intimate partner violence to informal social support network members (e.g., friends, family, classmates, and coworkers). Research indicates that the majority of individuals disclose to at least one informal support and that victims' disclosure is associated with a number of demographic (e.g., victims' sex, age, race), intrapersonal (e.g., victims' feelings of shame/embarrassment, perception of control over abuse), and situational (e.g., violence frequency and severity, if abuse is witnessed) factors. Following disclosure, victims experience a wide range of positive (e.g., believing the victim's reports, validating the victim's experiences) and negative (e.g. disbelieving, blaming the victim) social reactions, with positive reactions rated as the most common and most helpful forms of support by victims. Finally, a review of psychological correlates associated with reactions to disclosure indicates that positive social reactions are associated with more psychological health benefits and fewer negative health symptoms, whereas negative social reactions were associated with increased negative psychological health symptoms. Future research methodologies and implications for violence prevention, intervention, and policy are discussed.

Objective: This authors provide an overview and critical analysis of research on intimate partner violence (IPV) among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons and discuss recommendations for future research on the topic. Method: Ninety-six empirical articles published from 1999 to the present, examining IPV among samples of LGB persons, were reviewed. Results: Research documents that rates of IPV among LGB individuals are equal to or greater than rates observed among heterosexual individuals. A number of risk factors for IPV victimization and perpetration among LGB individuals have also been identified; these risk factors are similar to those documented among heterosexual individuals and also include minority stress risk factors (e.g., internalized homonegativity), which may help explain increased rates of IPV among sexual minorities. A substantial research literature also documents disclosure, help-seeking, leaving, and recovery processes among LGB victims of IPV, indicating a number of similarities to heterosexual victims of IPV, as well as differences, which too can be understood through a minority stress framework. Conclusion: We identified a number of important future research strategies within the domains of measurement, participants/sampling, study methodology, and IPV co-occurrence with other forms of violence. We also discussed the importance of addressing minority stress in IPV prevention efforts for LGB individuals, and improving LGB IPV service availability and provider sensitivity.

No abstract

Rape myths are one way in which sexual violence has been sustained and justified through history and modern times. However, there has been a dearth of scholarship about rape myths concerning male victims. This paper reviews the historical origins, development, and current manifestations of male rape myths prevalent in Western society. Specifically, we review male rape myths and their origins in the areas of medicine, law, media, the military, and incarcerated settings. The paper also delineates possible means for eradicating male rape myths at the individual, institutional, and societal levels.

Preliminary research suggests that partner violence is a problem among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) college youth. However, there is no study to date with college youth on the factors associated with perpetration of same-sex partner violence, which is needed to inform prevention efforts specific to this population. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to assess how facets of minority stress (i.e., sexual-orientation-related victimization, sexual minority stigma, internalized homonegativity, sexual identity concealment) relate to physical, sexual, and psychological partner violence perpetration among LGBTQ college youth (N = 391; 49% identified as men; 72% Caucasian; M age: 20.77 years). At the bivariate level, physical perpetration was related to identity concealment and internalized homonegativity; sexual perpetration was related to internalized homonegativity; and psychological perpetration was related to sexual-orientation-related victimization. However, at the multivariate level (after controlling for concurrent victimization), psychological perpetration was unrelated to minority stress variables, whereas physical and sexual perpetration were both related to internalized homonegativity; physical perpetration was also related to identity concealment. These results underscore the utility of understanding partner violence among LGBTQ youth through a minority stress framework. Moreover, the current study highlights the need for a better understanding of factors that mediate and moderate the relationship between minority stress and partner violence perpetration among LGBTQ youth in order to inform prevention and intervention efforts.