Prevalence of Substance Use and Intimate Partner Violence in a Sample of A/PI MSM

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Alvin Tran, Emory University; Lavinia Lin, Emory University; Eric Nehl, Emory University; Colin L. Talley, Emory University; Kristin L. Dunkle, Emory University; Frank Wong, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-07-01
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Inc.
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2014.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260513516006
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Interpersonal Violence
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 11
• Start Page: 2054
• End Page: 2067
• Grant/Funding Information: The preparation of this article was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01HD046354—Frank Wong) and the Emory Center for AIDS Research (P30 AI050409—Eric Nehl and Frank Wong).
• Keywords: Psychology; Women; Gay Male; men who have sex with men (MSM); Victimization; Psychology, Applied; Asian/Pacific Islander men; Risk; Family Studies; Drug use; Criminology & Penology; substance use; Support; Social Sciences; Alcohol; Abuse; battering; Sexual orientation; intimate partner violence (IPV)
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Psychology, Social; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

This study evaluates the prevalence of three forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) (i.e., experience of physical, psychological/symbolic, and sexual battering) among a national sample of Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States and identifies their characteristics. The study also reports the differences of substance use behavior between MSM with and without a previous history of IPV. Our sample was recruited through venue-based sampling from seven metropolitan cities as part of the national Men of Asia Testing for HIV (MATH) study. Among 412 MSM, 29.1% experienced IPV perpetrated from a boyfriend or same-gender partner in the past 5 years. Within the previous 5 years, 62.5%, 78.3%, and 40.8% of participants experienced physical, psychological/symbolic, and sexual battering, respectively. Collectively, 35.8% of participants reported that they have experienced at least one type of victimization and 64.2% have experienced multiple victimizations (two or three types of battering victimization). Overall, 21.2% of our sample reported any substance use within the past 12 months. The present findings suggest that individuals with a history of IPV in the past 5 years were more likely to report substance use (33.6%) compared to those without a history of IPV experience (16.1%). © The Author(s) 2014.