The Impact of Minority Stress on LGBTQ Individuals’ Intentions to Seek Help for Intimate Partner Violence

Jenna Calton

Advisor: Lauren B Cattaneo, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: June Tangney, Keith Renshaw

David J. King Hall, #2021
June 21, 2016, 10:00 AM to 07:00 AM

Abstract:

Between 26 and 61% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals report a lifetime history of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Despite being at greater risk for experiencing IPV than cisgender, heterosexual men and women, LGBTQ IPV survivors have greater difficulty seeking support for IPV and research on barriers to help-seeking in this population is lacking. However, many LGBTQ individuals experience minority stress related to their experiences with rejection and discrimination based on their minority sexual orientation and gender identity. Minority stress has been shown to contribute to a variety of health-related difficulties for LGBTQ individuals, but it has not been examined as a barrier to seeking support. The current study uses structural equation modeling to examine the influence of three sources of minority stress, experiences with LGBTQ discrimination, internalized homophobia/transphobia, and level of outness, on LGBTQ individuals’ (n = 317) intentions to seek help for IPV. In addition, it explores the impact of social support and connection to LGBTQ community on the relation between these minority stress processes and LGBTQ individuals’ intentions to seek help for IPV.