In this online vignette study, a national sample of domestic violence shelter service providers (N = 282) completed a 10-item questionnaire about a woman experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). Scenarios varied in terms of couple sexual orientation (heterosexual or lesbian) and type of abuse (physical or nonphysical). Results indicate that although participants did not overtly discriminate against a woman in a lesbian relationship, they were less likely to perceive her as a victim, and their acceptance of a lesbian as a client was more dependent on their comfort with her than was the case for a woman in a heterosexual relationship. Type of abuse, as expected, had a main effect on many questions, with physical abuse taken more seriously than nonphysical abuse. Scores on the Attitudes Toward Lesbians subscale (Herek) were unrelated to responses. Implications for service providers are discussed.
BalsamK. F.SzymanskiD. M. (2005). Relationship quality and domestic violence in women’s same-sex relationships: The role of minority stress. Psychology of Women Quarterly. Special Issue: Female Violence Against Intimate Partners, 29, 258-269.
2.
BlaskoK. A.WinekJ. L.BieschkeK. J. (2007). Therapists’ prototypical assessment of domestic violence situations. Journal of Family and Marriage Therapy, 33, 258-269.
3.
BrandP. A.KiddA. H. (1986). Frequency of physical aggression in heterosexual and female homosexual dyads. Psychological Reports, 59, 1307-1313.
4.
BrownM. J.GroscupJ. (2009). Perceptions of same-sex domestic violence among crisis center staff. Journal of Family Violence, 24, 87-93.
5.
BurkeT. W.JordanM. L.OwenS. S. (2002). Cross-national comparison of gay and lesbian domestic violence. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 18, 231-257.
6.
CraftS. M.SerovichJ. M.McKenryP. C.LimJ. (2008). Stress, attachment style, and partner violence among same-sex couples. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 4(1), 57-73.
7.
EatonL.KaufmanM.FuhrelA.CainD.CherryC.PopeH.KalichmanS. (2008). Examining factors co-existing with interpersonal violence in lesbian relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 23, 697-705.
8.
ElliotP. (1996). Shattering illusion: Same-sex domestic violence. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 4(1), 1-8.
9.
FortunataB.KohnC. S. (2003). Demographic, psychosocial, and personality characteristics of lesbian batterers. Violence and Victims, 18, 557-568.
10.
Graham-BermannS.SularzA. R.HowellK. H. (2011). Additional adverse events among women exposed to intimate partner violence: Frequency and impact. Psychology of Violence, 1, 136-149.
11.
HassounehD.GlassN. (2008). The influence of gender role stereotyping on women’s experiences of female same-sex intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 14, 310-325.
12.
HayesJ. A.GelsoC. J. (1993). Male counselors’ discomfort with gay and HIV-infected clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 40, 86-93.
13.
HerekG. M. (1984). Attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A factor analytic study. Journal of Homosexuality, 10, 39-51.
14.
HerekG. M. (1994). Assessing attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A review of empirical research with the ATLG scale. In GreeneB.HerekG. M. (Eds.), Lesbian and gay psychology: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 206-228). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
15.
KiteM. E.DeauxK. (1986). Attitudes toward homosexuality: Assessment and behavioral consequences. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 7, 137-162.
16.
LeventhalB.LundyS. E. (1999). Same-sex domestic violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
17.
Lundberg-LoveP. K.MarmionS. L. (Eds.). (2006). “Intimate” violence against women. Westport, CT: Praeger.
18.
MechanicM. B.WeaverT. L.ResnickP. A. (2008). Mental health consequences of intimate partner abuse: A multidimensional assessment of four different forms of abuse. Violence Against Women, 14, 634-654.
19.
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. (2001). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender domestic violence in 2001. New York, NY: Author.
20.
PatzelB. (2006). What blocked heterosexual women and lesbians in leaving their abusive relationships. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 12, 208-215.
21.
Pico-AlfonsoM. A. (2005). Psychological intimate partner violence: The major predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder in abused women. Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews, 29, 181-193.
22.
RenzettiC. M. (1992). Violent betrayal: Partner abuse in lesbian relationships. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
23.
RenzettiC. M. (1996). The poverty of services for battered lesbians. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 4(1), 61-68.
24.
RistockJ. L. (2001). Decentering heterosexuality: Responses of feminist counselors to abuse in lesbian relationships. Women & Therapy, 23(3), 59-72.
25.
RobertsA. R. (2007). Battered women and their families: Intervention strategies and treatment programs (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
26.
SeelauS. M.SeelauE. P. (2005). Gender-role stereotypes and perceptions of heterosexual, gay and lesbian violence. Journal of Family Violence, 20, 363-371.
27.
SimpsonE. K.HelfrichC. A. (2005). Lesbian survivors of intimate partner violence: Provider perspectives on barriers to accessing services. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 18, 39-59.
28.
WiseA. J.BowmanS. L. (1997). Comparison of beginning counselors’ responses to lesbian vs. heterosexual partner abuse. Violence and Victims, 12, 127-135.
