The Intersection of Mutual Partner Violence and Substance Use Among Urban Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals

Abstract

Intimate partner violence among gays and lesbians has gained increased attention in recent years. The present study assessed mutual partner violence within a gay, lesbian, bisexual (GLB) community sample to explore how mutual partner violence relates to the use of psychoactive substances. The results suggest that individuals engaging in mutual partner violence are more likely to report the use of numerous drugs than other subjects. However, this finding holds more consistently among men. The results also indicate that the exchange of violence is more significant for substance use than the particular type of violence involved. The authors suggest that minority stress may be an underlying mechanism of both substance use and partner violence and may contribute to the intersection of these deviant phenomena in the GLB community.

Acknowledgments

The Sex and Love Project was supported by the Hunter College Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), under the direction of Jeffrey T. Parsons. The authors acknowledge the contributions of other members of the Sex and Love Research Team—Michael R. Adams, Anthony Bamonte, Lauren DiMaria, Catherine Holder, James P. Kelleher, Juline Koken, and Brooke Wells.

Notes

n.s. = not significant.

*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001. n.s. = not significant.

*p < .05. n.s. = not significant.

*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Controlled for Age, Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Identity.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brian C. Kelly

BRIAN C. KELLY is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Department of Anthropology at Purdue University. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University, where he studied Anthropology, Sociology and Public Health. His research has centered on drug use, sexual health, and youth cultures, with an interest in HIV/AIDS.

Hubert Izienicki

HUBERT IZIENICKI is a doctoral student at the Indiana University Department of Sociology. His research interests are focused on human sexuality.

David S. Bimbi

DAVID S. BIMBI is an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at LaGuardia Community College. David completed his Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology at CUNY Graduate Center. His broad research interests include attribution theory, health psychology, sex work, and the mechanisms and impact of prejudice and discrimination.

Jeffrey T. Parsons

JEFFREY T. PARSONS is a Professor of Psychology at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Co-Director of the Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST). Dr. Parsons received his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Houston in 1992. His research revolves around issues concerning HIV/AIDS.