Sexual Relationship Violence Among Young, Partnered Sexual Minority Men in the United States

Abstract

While there has been a growth in studies examining sexual violence among sexual minority men, little research attention has been paid to the experience of sexual violence among young sexual minority men (YSMM). In this article we analyze secondary data from the baseline of a pilot randomized control trial with 318 YSMM aged 15 to 24 years in the United States who were in relationships with other males to examine the associations between sexual minority-specific stigma and sociodemographic and relationship characteristics and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual IPV in their relationships. Approximately one-in-five participants reported experiencing any form of IPV and 6% reported sexual IPV in their current relationship. Participants who reported sexual minority-specific familial rejection (Adjusted Odds Rato (aOR) = 2.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.03, 5.26], p < .05), internalized heterosexism (aOR = 3.17, 95% CI [1.45, 6.95], p < .01), and housing insecurity (aOR = 7.22, 95% CI [1.66, 31.34], p < .01) reported higher odds of sexual IPV in their relationship. Study findings point to the role of multiple sexual minority-specific forms of stigma in creating vulnerabilities for the experience of sexual IPV among YSMM, and highlight the need for continued research and interventions that address sexual minority-specific stigma and structural vulnerabilities to guide violence prevention efforts with YSMM.

Substance Use and Associated Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Among MSM in Los Angeles, California

“…Methamphetamine use was associated with an increased risk of any IPV victimization and physical IPV victimization, a finding consistent with prior research exploring the relationship between stimulant use and experiences of IPV among racial and ethnic minority MSM in the United States (Wu et al, 2015). We also identified several other factors associated with IPV among MSM which were consistent with existing literature, including being younger, experiencing depression, anxiety, incarceration, homelessness, engaging in higher-risk sexual behaviors (concurrent partners, transactional sex), and other substance use (heroin and cannabis) (Buller et al, 2014;Maiorana et al, 2021;Stephenson et al, 2023;Wheeler et al, 2014). These have important implications for public health planning and intervention delivery.…”