Untangling the Relationship Between Internalized Heterosexism and Psychological Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: A Comparative Study of Lesbians and Bisexual Women in Turkey and Denmark*

Abstract

Psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration is not limited to heterosexual relationships and can affect all genders and sexual orientations, including lesbians and bisexual women (LB) both in Denmark and Turkey. Internalized heterosexism might be one of the factors increasing the risk of LB’s use of psychological IPV perpetration. However, it is still unclear how being LB in Turkey and Denmark interact in the internalized heterosexism and psychological IPV perpetration relationship. The current study, therefore, presents an investigation of (a) the prevalence of sexual orientation (LB) and country (Denmark and Turkey) differences in perpetrating psychological IPV and (b) the moderating roles of sexual orientation and country on the association between internalized heterosexism and psychological IPV perpetration. A sample of 449 LB from Denmark and Turkey completed the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale and the Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse Scale. The results of chi-square analyses indicated that LB from Turkey and bisexual women from both countries reported significantly higher psychological IPV perpetration. The results of moderation analyses revealed that country had direct effects on the use of psychological IPV perpetration. No moderation effects were found for both sexual orientation and country in three of the four types of psychological IPV perpetration. These findings suggest that LB are not an exception to the perpetration of IPV. Furthermore, the findings were discussed from the perspectives of intersectionality and minority stress.

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Sexual Minority People and Associated Factors: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies

“…Bisexual participants involved in bisexual local or online community were at increased risk of IPV perpetration than those not involved in bisexual communities; however, in the path analysis, involvement in bisexual communities was not directly associated with IPV perpetration. Bi-negativity was positively associated with IPV perpetration Ummak et al ( 2021 ) Untangling the relationship between internalized heterosexism and psychological intimate partner violence perpetration: a comparative study of lesbians and bisexual women in Turkey and Denmark Turkey and Denmark N = 449, 418 (F), 10 (transgender), 12 (complex) Psychological IPV MMEA Scale Turkish participants were more likely to report all forms of psychological IPV perpetration (restrictive engulfment; denigration; hostile withdrawal; dominance/intimidation) than Danish participants. Bisexual participants were more likely to report all forms of psychological IPV perpetration, except for dominance/intimidation, than Lesbian participants.…”

“…Only one study used probabilistic methods of sampling (Bogart et al, 2005 ). Most (39 studies) included self-identified LGB+ people (Ayhan Balik & Bilgin, 2021 ; Bacchus et al, 2017 ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Bogart et al, 2005 ; Chong et al, 2013 ; Derlega et al, 2011 ; Edwards et al, 2021 ; Finneran & Stephenson, 2014 ; Finneran et al, 2012 ; Fontanesi et al, 2020 ; Fortunata & Kohn, 2003 ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, 2017a ; Gabbay & Lafontaine, b ; Jacobson et al, 2015 ; Kelly et al, 2011 ; Lewis et al, 2017 ; Lewis et al, 2018 ; Longares et al, 2018a ; Longares et al, b ; Mason et al, 2016 ; Oringher & Samuelson, 2011 ; Pistella et al, 2022 ; Poorman & Seelau, 2001 ; Reuter et al, 2015 ; Schilit et al, 1990 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2016 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2017 ; Stephenson et al, 2011a ; Stephenson et al, 2013 ; Swan et al, 2021 ; Taylor & Neppl, 2020 ; Telesco, 2003 ; Tognasso et al, 2022 ; Toro-Alfonso & Rodríguez-Madera, 2004 ; Turell et al, 2018 ; Ummak et al, 2021 ; Zavala, 2017 ). Regardless of their self-identified sexual orientation, 17 studies recruited participants on the basis of their involvement in a same-sex relationship (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Craft & Serovich, 2005 ; Craft et al, 2008 ; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Jones & Raghavan, 2012 ; Kahle et al, 2020 ; Kelley et al, 2014 ; Leone et al, 2022 ; Li et al,…”

“…Sexual Orientation Bisexual people were at increased risk of IPV perpetration compared to homosexual people in four studies (Reuter et al, 2015 ; Stults et al, 2021a , b ; Ummak et al, 2021 ; Wei et al, 2020a , b ). In the study by Reuter et al ( 2015 ), the linear regression model further showed that sexual orientation was only related to severe teen dating violence (TDV; i.e., a combination of physical and sexual IPV) perpetration, while it was not related to TDV when any TDV score was considered as a dependent variable.…”

“…In addition, participants’ (Ayhan Balik & Bilgin, 2021 ; Balsam & Szymanski, 2005 ; Bartholomew et al, 2008a , b ; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013 ; Finneran & Stephenson, 2014 ; Finneran et al, 2012 ; Kelley et al, 2014 ; Li et al, 2019 , 2022 ; McKenry et al, 2006 ; Miltz et al, 2019 ; Pepper & Sand, 2015 ; Stephenson & Finneran, 2016 ; Suarez et al, 2018 ; Tognasso et al, 2022 ; Ummak et al, 2021 ; Zavala, 2017 ) and partner’s (Li et al, 2019 ) internalized homonegativity were found to be associated to IPV perpetration. However, in the study by Balsam and Szymanski ( 2005 ), internalized homonegativity was not related to psychological IPV and LGB-specific abuse, and the association between internalized homonegativity and physical/sexual violence was fully mediated by dyadic adjustment.…”

“…Other used assessment tools were the Intimate Partner Violence Among Gay and Bisexual Men (IPV-GBM) Scale (10 studies; Davis et al, 2016;Jones & Raghavan, 2012;Sharma et al, 2021;Stephenson & Finneran, 2016;Stephenson & Finneran, 2017;Suarez et al, 2018;Wei et al, 2020aWei et al, , b, 2021Zhu et al, 2021); the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (three studies; Bartholomew et al, 2008a, b;Leone et al, 2022;Lewis et al, 2018) or its short form (one study; Lewis et al, 2017); the 30-item Abusive Behavior Inventory (ABI; two studies; Telesco, 2003;Turell et al, 2018); the Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse (two studies; Fontanesi et al, 2020;Ummak et al, 2021); the Cold Violence Scale (one study; Li & Zheng, 2021); the SGM-Specific IPV Tactics Scale (one study; Swann et al, 2021); the Conflict in Adolescent Dating and Relationships Inventory (one study; Reuter et al, 2015); the Relational Pursuit-Pursuer Short Form (one study; Derlega et al, 2011); the Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships Scale (one study; Fontanesi et al, 2020); the Psychological Maltreatment Inventory (one study; Landolt & Dutton, 1997); the Sexual Experiences Survey (one study; Krahé et al, 2000); the Perpetration in Dating Relationships Fig. 1 Flowchart of the selection procedure 2017; Lewis et al, 2018;Li & Zheng, 2021;Li et al, 2022;Longares et al, 2018a;Longares et al, b;Mason et al, 2016;McKenry et al, 2006;Milletic...…”