Intimate Partner Violence among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Catherine Finneran, Emory University; Robert Stephenson, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-04
• Publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2013, SAGE Publications
• Final Published Version (URL): http://tva.sagepub.com/content/14/2/168.long
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• ISSN: 1524-8380
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 168
• End Page: 185
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This original research was supported by funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Insitute of Child Health & Human Development, grant #5R21HD066306-02.
• Keywords: domestic violence; GLBT; sexual assault
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

This article presents results from a systematic review of the literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) among US men who have sex with men (MSM). From 576 reviewed studies, a total of 28 met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The population characteristics of each study, definitions of IPV, prevalences of different forms of IPV, and statistically tested correlates of IPV are summarized for each study. The results indicate that all forms of IPV occur among MSM at rates similar to or higher than those documented among women, although data on perpetration rates of IPV are scant, and consensus as to IPV correlates among MSM is absent. This review also finds significant limitations the reviewed literature, notably the lack of a standardized, validated definition of IPV among MSM; use of unspecific recall periods for IPV; a lack of attention to non-physical, non-sexual forms of IPV; and near-universal use of cross-sectional, convenience samples of urban MSM. Researchers should develop and validate a MSM-specific definition of IPV, use more rigorous epidemiological methods to measure IPV and its effects, and clarify the mental and physical health outcomes associated with both receipt and perpetration of IPV.