Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Intimate Violence in Male Same-Sex Relationships

  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Despite findings suggesting a high prevalence of violence in male same-sex relationships, little is known about the characteristics of this violence. This study explored the general nature of male same-sex intimate violence. The sample consisted of 69 gay and bisexual men, chosen from a randomly selected community sample, who reported at least 1 violent episode in an interview exploring their intimate relationships. Men's descriptions of the most severe incident in the most recent violent relationship were coded from the taped interviews. Patterns of intimate violence varied widely, including a range from mild to severe violence, and situations of unidirectional and bidirectional violence. In the vast majority of cases, violence was an escalation of ongoing conflict, involved bidirectional emotional abuse, and was more expressive than instrumental in nature. Difficulties in conflict resolution and attachment fears appeared to better explain the occurrence of violence than did the intent to control one's partner.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The coding system was developed in a group setting, Before work on this project commenced, the two coders established reliability on a group of interviews that were not part of this project.

REFERENCES

  • Bartholomew, K., Henderson, A. J. Z., and Dutton, D. G. (2001). Insecure attachment and abusive intimate relationships. In Clulow, C. (ed.), Attachment and Couple Work: Applying the ‘Secure Base’ Concept in Research and Practise, Routledge, London, pp. 44–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K., Landolt, M. A., and Oram, D. (1999, August). Abuse in male same-sex relationships: Prevalence, incidence, and injury. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

  • Berns, S. B., Jacobson, N. S., and Gottman, J. M. (1999). Demand–withdraw interaction in couples with a violent husband. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 67: 666–674.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1984). Violence in the family as a disorder of the attachment and caregiving systems. Am. J. Psychoanal. 44: 9–27.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, L. K., and Follingstad, D. R. (1999). Violence in lesbian and gay relationships: Theory, prevalence, and correlational factors. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 19: 487–512.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cascardi, M., and Vivian, D. (1995). Context for specific episodes of marital violence: Gender and severity of violence differences. J. Family Violence 10: 265–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A., and Heavey, C. L. (1990). Gender and social structure in the demand/withdraw pattern of marital conflict. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 59: 73–81.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cruz, J. M., and Firestone, J. M. (1998). Exploring violence and abuse in gay male relationships. Violence Victims 13: 159–173.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobash, R. P., Dobash, R. E., Wilson, M., and Daly, M. (1992). The myth of sexual symmetry on marital violence. Soc. Problems 39: 71–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, M. J. (1994). Riding the donkey backwards: Men as the unacceptable victims of marital violence. J. Men. Stud. 3: 137–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, A. J. Z. (1998). It Takes Two to Tango: An Attachment Perspective Exploring Women's and Men's Relationship Aggression, Unpublished doctoral thesis, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

  • Island, D., and Letellier, P. (1991). Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence, Hawthorn Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. J. Marriage Family 57: 283–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P. (2001). Conflict and control: Symmetry and asymmetry in domestic violence. In Booth, A., and Crouter, A. C. (eds.), Couples in Conflict, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, pp. 95–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, C. E., and Warshafsky, L. (1997). Partner abuse in gay male and lesbian couples. Paper presented at the Third National Conference of Family Violence Researchers, Durham, NH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landolt, M. A., and Dutton, D. G. (1997). Power and personality: An analysis of gay male intimate abuse. Sex Roles 37: 335–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letellier, P. (1994). Gay and bisexual male domestic violence victimization: Challenges to feminist theory and responses to violence. Violence Victims 9: 95–106.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lie, G., Schilit, R., Bush, J., Montagne, M., and Reyes, L. (1991). Lesbians in currently aggressive relationships: How frequently do they report aggressive past relationships. Violence Victims 6: 121–135.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lockhart, L. L., White, B. W., Causby, V., and Isaac, A. (1994). Letting out the secret: Violence in lesbian relationships. J. Interpers. Violence 9: 469–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Keefe, M. (1997). Predictors of dating violence among high school students. J. Interpers. Violence 12: 546–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regan, K. V., Bartholomew, K., Oram, D., and Landolt, M. (2002). The structure of physical violence in male same-sex relationships. J. Interpers. Violence 17: 235–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renzetti, C. M. (1992). Violent Betrayal: Partner Abuse in Lesbian Relationships, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, N., and Noller, P. (1998). The associations between adult attachment and couple violence: The role of communication patterns and relationship satisfaction. In Simpson, J. A., and William, S. (eds.), Attachment Theory and Close Relationships, Guilford, New York, pp. 317–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stacey, W. A., Hazlewood, L. R., and Shupe, A. D. (1994). The Violent Couple, Praeger, Westport, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A. (1993). Physical assaults by wives: A major social problem. In Gelles, R. J., and Loseke, D. R. (eds.), Current Controversies on Family Violence, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 67–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., and Gelles, R. J. (1986). Societal change and change in family violence from 1975 to 1985 as revealed by two national surveys. J. Marriage Family 48: 465–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turell, S. C. (2000). A descriptive analysis of same-sex relationship violence for a diverse sample. J. Family Violence 15: 281–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vivian, D., and Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (1994). Are bi-directionally violent couples mutually victimized? A gender-sensitive comparison. Violence Victims 9: 107–124.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Waldener-Haugrud, L. K., Gratch, L. V., and Magruder, B. (1997). Victimization and perpetration rates of violence in gay and lesbian relationships: Gender issues explored. Violence Victims 12: 173–184.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The project was supported by a grant to Kim Bartholomew from the Wayne F. Placek Fund of the American Psychological Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jessica L. Stanley.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stanley, J.L., Bartholomew, K., Taylor, T. et al. Intimate Violence in Male Same-Sex Relationships. J Fam Viol 21, 31–41 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-005-9008-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-005-9008-9

KEY WORDS:

Navigation