title: Victimization and perpetration rates of violence in gay and lesbian relationships: gender issues explored.
abstract: This study explores gender differences in victimization and perpetration experiences of gays and lesbians in intimate relationships. A sample of 283 gays and lesbians reported on their experiences both as victims and perpetrators of gay/lesbian relationship violence by completing a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980). General results indicate that 47.5% of lesbians and 29.7% of gays have been victimized by a same-sex partner. Further, lesbians reported an overall perpetration rate of 38% compared to 21.8% for gay men. Other findings were as follows: (1) lesbians were more likely to be classified as victims and perpetrators of violence than gay men; (2) lesbians were more likely to report pushing or being pushed than gay men; (3) lesbians reported experiencing a greater number of different victimization and perpetration tactics than gay men; and finally, (4) when items were weighted to create an indicator of severity, no significant differences between lesbians and gay men were found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, TX 77002, USA.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Waldner-Haugrud
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Gratch
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Magruder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires