Intimate partner violence among gay & bisexual men: Social context & risk taking

描述(申请人提供)：亲密伴侣暴力(IPV)被公共卫生专业人员广泛认为是一个严重的问题，有可能产生广泛的负面后果：然而，大多数关于IPV的学术研究都集中在男性对女性的暴力上，目前的研究努力集中在预防异性关系中的暴力上。然而，越来越多的证据表明，在同性关系中存在大量的IPV。尽管女权主义者和LGBT学者在过去20年里有了相当大的增长，但同性暴力问题没有得到充分解决，特别是在男性伴侣中。少数研究表明，美国同性伴侣中的IPV流行率与异性伴侣中的类似。现有的同性伴侣间的IPV研究在方法论上存在许多挑战。大多数研究侧重于女同性恋者，往往将男同性恋者和双性恋者排除在外，将男同性恋者和双性恋者招募到IPV研究中对研究人员构成了挑战，主要是因为人们认为在披露性取向方面存在困难；因此，以前的许多研究使用了通过LGBT场所和出版物招募的便利样本。这项拟议的研究旨在研究发生在同性男性关系中的IPV的类型，检查IPV与同性男性关系中的性风险承担之间的关系，并确定IPV的体验如何受到男同性恋者的社会网络和个人社会背景的构成的影响。这项研究是在佐治亚州亚特兰大进行的，这座城市有相当多的同性恋和双性恋男性。拟议的研究包括两个阶段。第一个将使用焦点小组讨论，以确定同性男性关系中出现的IPV的形式，并检查IPV和性风险承担之间的已知联系。第二项调查将涉及对佐治亚州亚特兰大1000名自我认同的同性恋和双性恋男性的调查。这项调查将收集有关暴力经历和实施、种族主义和仇视同性恋的经历以及社交网络构成的数据。分析将侧重于与经历/实施暴力有关的因素，以及暴力与不使用避孕套之间的联系。这一新信息有可能显著增加我们对正在研究的人群中IPV的了解，并为制定干预措施以减少IPV和HIV在美国的传播提供信息。 公共卫生相关性：将从佐治亚州亚特兰大的同性恋和双性恋男性样本中收集定性和定量数据，以检查同性男性关系中发生的亲密伴侣暴力的形式。分析将考察社交网络和社会背景如何塑造同性男性关系中亲密伴侣暴力的体验。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Intimate partner violence (IPV) is recognized widely by public health professionals as a severe problem with the potential to produce a broad range of negative consequences: however, most academic studies of IPV have focused on male-to-female violence, and research efforts currently focus on the prevention of violence in heterosexual relationships. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that there are substantial levels of IPV in same-sex relationships. Despite considerable increase in feminist and LGBT scholarship over the past two decades, same-gender violence has not been adequately addressed, particularly in male couples. A small number of studies have suggested that the prevalence of IPV among same-sex couples in the US is similar to that seen in heterosexual couples. Existing studies of IPV among same-sex couples have a number of methodological challenges. The majority has focused on lesbians, often to the exclusion of gay and bisexual men and the recruitment of LGBT individuals into studies of IPV has posed a challenge to researchers, due primarily to perceived difficulties in disclosing sexual orientation; as such many previous studies have used convenience samples recruited through LGBT venues and publications. The proposed research aims to examine the typologies of IPV that occur in same-sex male relationships, to examine the relationship between IPV and sexual risk-taking in same-sex male relationships, and to identify how the experience of IPV is influenced by the composition of gay men's social networks and individual social context. The research is conducted in Atlanta, GA, a city with a considerable population of gay and bisexual men. The proposed research involves two stages. The first will use focus group discussions to identify the forms of IPV that occur in same-sex male relationships, and to examine perceived links between IPV and sexual risk-taking. The second will involve a survey of 1000 self-identifying gay and bisexual men in Atlanta, GA. The survey will collect data on the experience and perpetration of violence, experience of racism and homophobia and composition of social networks. Analysis will focus on factors associated with experience/ perpetration of violence, and the link between violence and non-use of condoms. This new information has the potential to add significantly to our understanding of IPV in an under-research population, and to inform the development of interventions to reduce both IPV and HIV transmission in the US. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from a sample of gay and bisexual men in Atlanta, GA to examine the forms of intimate partner violence that occur in same-sex male relationships. Analysis will examine how social networks and social context shape the experience of intimate partner violence in same-sex male relationships.