Male at Birth Sexual and Gender Minorities Have Higher Odds of Partner Violence

Author: Rutgers University
Author Contact: rutgers.edu
Published: 14th Oct 2022 - Updated: 5th Jan 2023
Peer-Reviewed Publication: Yes
Additional References: Male Adolescence Publications

Summary: Young bisexual, transgender and low-income individuals are most at risk of psychological and physical victimization.

Definition

Sexual Minority

A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity, orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Primarily used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or non-heterosexual individuals, it can also refer to transgender, non-binary (including third gender) or intersex individuals. Variants include GSM (Gender and Sexual Minorities), GSRM (Gender, Sexual and Romantic Minorities), and GSD (Gender and Sexual Diversity). They have been considered in academia, but it is SGM (Sexual and Gender Minority) that has gained the most advancement in recent years.

Main Document

Sociodemographic Differences in Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence, Chronicity, and Severity Among Young Sexual and Gender Minorities Assigned Male at Birth: The P18 Cohort Study.

Intimate partner violence is chronic among young sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth (YSGM-AMAB), with bisexual, transgender, and lower-income people in this group having the highest likelihood of victimization, a Rutgers study has found.

"Our findings demonstrate just how common and chronic intimate partner violence is for young gender and sexual minorities," said Marybec Griffin, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at Rutgers School of Public Health and co-author of the study, which was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence September issue.

"The common perception is that violence happens only once," Griffin said. "But victims stay a long time in relationships where violence occurs for several reasons, and those most vulnerable to this cycle are economic, social, and sexual minority groups."

To determine how chronic and prevalent intimate partner violence is among this group of individuals and to determine whether sociodemographic characteristics have an effect, researchers surveyed 665 young people in New York City.

Data was drawn from Project 18, an ongoing cohort study funded by the National Institutes of Health that began in 2014. Participants recruited in two waves were between ages 18 and 24, self-reported being assigned male at birth, had sex with a male partner in the previous six months, and were HIV-negative.

Participants were asked about their gender identity, race and ethnicity, sexual identity and income, and education levels.

Nearly half of the participants (47.1 percent) reported being the victim of intimate partner violence in the past year. Psychological violence was the most common form of victimization reported, at 37.6 percent, followed by sexual violence (22.1 percent) and physical violence (19.5 percent). Psychological violence was the most common form of perpetration.

Bisexual, transgender, and lower-income participants were more likely to report victimization. In contrast, Asian and Pacific Islanders, bisexual, transgender, and lower-income participants were more likely to report the perpetration of intimate partner violence.

Transgender participants were more likely to report severe psychological or minor and severe injury victimization than cisgender participants. Bisexual participants were more likely to report severe injury and severe sexual victimization than gay participants.

Participants who made less than $5,000 annually (34.6 percent of the sample) were more likely to report severe injury and minor and severe sexual victimization than participants who earned more than $5,000.

The findings suggest that intimate partner violence "is a prevalent and chronic health problem" for many young sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth and reveal "sociodemographic disparities in [intimate partner violence] experiences in this historically-marginalized group ...reflecting larger systems of oppression and privilege in our society," the researchers noted in the study.

Griffin said the data should be used to develop intimate partner violence prevention and intervention programs and strengthen education and health policies.

"The takeaway from our work is that the range of people experiencing intimate partner violence is shockingly high and that for sexual and gender minorities, the violence is often repeated," Griffin said.

References and Source(s):

Male at Birth Sexual and Gender Minorities Have Higher Odds of Partner Violence | Rutgers University (rutgers.edu). SexualDiversity.org makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. Content may have been edited for style, clarity or length.

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