Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among a Cross-Sectional Sample of Black LGBTQ Youth

Abstract

The vast literature on youth intimate partner violence (IPV) has not identified relevant factors associated with perpetration among Black LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) youth, a high-risk group for IPV exposure. Grounded in minority stress theory and disempowerment theory, this study used binary logistic regression to test four potential predictors of IPV predictors, two that have been identified in the extant literature on teen dating violence (i.e., interparental violence exposure and IPV acceptance), and two that have not been examined among LGBTQ youth (i.e., stereotypes about Black women and traditional gender role endorsement). The analysis used cross-sectional survey data from 245 Black American adolescents aged 15 to 19 (M = 17.51) collected through Qualtrics, 45.3% of whom identified as LGBTQ. Our results showed that interparental violence exposure predicted all IPV perpetration outcomes, stereotypes about Black women predicted emotional/verbal abuse and total abuse, and IPV acceptance predicted physical abuse for LGBTQ participants. Contrary to expectations, traditional gender role endorsement did not predict any IPV outcomes. These findings suggest that these risk factors and various types of perpetration must be further scrutinized to clarify the mechanisms that drive differential outcomes. This research also indicates that exposure to violence in the home, attitudes about IPV, and endorsement of stereotypes about Black women may be relevant topics to consider in intervention efforts targeted at Black sexual and gender minority youth. These findings contribute to efforts to build out the scant literature that focuses on multiply-minoritized adolescents and extends the use of disempowerment theory to include internalized racism.