Intimate Partner Violence in Sexual Minority Female Adolescents and Young Adults

 描述（由申请人提供）：年轻女性性少数群体（YFSM）处于亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的极高风险中，超过一半的YFSM报告约会伴侣的身体或性虐待。这些年轻的IPV受害者可能特别容易受到IPV的负面身心健康后果的影响，包括药物滥用，抑郁症和自杀，这是由于少数民族的压力和保护资源减少（例如，家长支持，社区联系）。此外，青年密克罗尼西亚联邦可能不太可能报告和寻求或接受有关性暴力的帮助，因为他们没有"公开"自己的性取向，或者他们害怕受到侮辱和歧视。寻求同性IPV帮助的妇女往往被拒绝提供服务（例如，三分之二的LGBT IPV幸存者被拒绝进入家庭暴力庇护所，并感到被家庭暴力服务系统边缘化和不受支持。显然需要进行基础研究，以便为制定具有文化敏感性的循证干预措施提供信息，以预防YFSM中的IPV，并支持女性性少数IPV受害者。然而，现有的文献几乎只关注异性恋者的IPV。因为LGBT青少年和年轻人面临着围绕他们的关系和性行为的独特问题（例如，否认或隐瞒性身份和活动的压力），IPV的风险和保护因素，寻求帮助的行为，以及IPV在性少数青年中的后果可能与在异性恋青年中观察到的有很大不同。该项目的总体目标是开始通过对女性性少数青少年和年轻人（YFSM）进行IPV创新研究来解决这些差异。我们提出了一个新的，少数压力知情的动态发展系统的角度IPV在YFSM，我们将使用混合方法，加速纵向设计进行测试。基于对LGBT青年进行的持续时间最长的研究，我们将每六个月收集两个不同种族的YFSM队列（N = 530;年龄16 - 26岁）的定量数据，为期两年，以及50名选定参与者的定性数据。我们将通过四个主要具体目标来实现总体目标：（1）描述YFSM青少年和青年期IPV的性质和轨迹;（2）确定YFSM中IPV的风险和保护因素，包括区分暴力与非暴力/健康关系的因素;（3）检查影响YFSM报告IPV的因素，IPV寻求帮助，以及从帮助中受益的能力 提供（例如，（4）评估艾滋病毒/艾滋病在青年密克罗尼西亚联邦的后果，确定增加风险或保护青年密克罗尼西亚联邦受害者免受艾滋病毒/艾滋病再次受害和负面健康后果的因素。将使用由此产生的定量和定性数据的整合，为制定循证干预措施提供信息，以预防YFSM中的IPV，并更好地为经历IPV的人提供服务。1

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Young female sexual minorities (YFSM) are at exceptionally high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), with over half of YFSM reporting physical or sexual abuse by a dating partner. These young IPV victims may be particularly vulnerable to the negative physical and mental health consequences of IPV, including substance abuse, depression, and suicide, due to minority stress and diminished protective resources (e.g., parent support, community connectedness). In addition, YFSM may be less likely to report and to seek or receive help for IPV because they are not "out" about their sexual orientation or they fear stigmatization and discrimination. Women who seek help for same-sex IPV are often denied services (e.g., two-thirds of LGBT IPV survivors were denied access to domestic violence shelters) and feel marginalized and unsupported by domestic violence service systems. Basic research is clearly needed to inform development of culturally sensitive, evidence-based interventions to prevent IPV in YFSM and to support female sexual minority IPV victims. The existing literature, however, has almost exclusively focused on IPV in heterosexuals. Because LGBT teens and young adults face unique issues surrounding their relationships and sexual behaviors (e.g., pressures to deny or conceal sexual identity and activities), the risk and protective factors for IPV, help-seeking behaviors, and consequences of IPV in sexual minority youth are likely quite different from those observed in heterosexual youth. The overarching goal of this project is to begin to address these disparities by conducting an innovative study of IPV in female sexual minority adolescents and young adults (YFSM). We propose a novel, minority stress-informed dynamic developmental systems perspective of IPV in YFSM, which we will test using a mixed-methods, accelerated longitudinal design. Building upon the longest running study of LGBT youth, we will collect quantitative data from two ethnically diverse cohorts of YFSM (N= 530; ages 16-26) every six months for two years, as well as qualitative data from 50 selected participants. We will accomplish the overarching goal with four primary specific aims: (1) Describe the nature and trajectories of IPV in YFSM across adolescence and young adulthood; (2) Identify risk and protective factors for IPV among YFSM, including factors that differentiate violent vs. non-violent/healthy relationships; (3) Examine factors that affect YFSM's reporting of IPV, help-seeking for IPV, and ability to benefit from help provided (e.g., cultural competence of providers); and (4) Evaluate the consequences of IPV in YFSM, identifying factors that raise risk for or protect YFSM victims from revictimization and negative health consequences of IPV. Integration of the resulting quantitative and qualitative data will be used to inform the development of evidence-based interventions to prevent IPV among YFSM and better serve those who experience IPV. 1