Abuse by partner harms health of gays too

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Domestic violence takes a similar health toll in same-sex and opposite-sex couples, a new study in the American Journal of Public Health shows.

Some studies have suggested that domestic violence may actually be more common among same-sex couples, Robert M. Bossarte and John R. Blosnich of West Virginia University in Morgantown note in their report, although it’s not clear if the effects of abuse on health are different for same-sex victims.

To investigate the health impact of domestic violence in same-sex and opposite-sex couples, as well as any differences between rural and urban areas, the researchers looked at data on nearly 8,000 people who reported having experienced verbal abuse, physical violence or unwanted sexual intercourse at the hands of an intimate partner. 

The information came from the 2005-2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, and included 12 states in 2005, eight in 2006, and four states and territories in 2007.

Only 173 people reported being abused by a same-sex partner, so the researchers did not separate out male and female victims of this violence in most of their analyses.

Measures of health and quality of life were roughly similar for both same-sex and opposite-sex victims; for example, 45 percent of same-sex victims said they had more than seven days of poor mental health over the past 30 days, compared to 23 percent of male opposite-sex victims and 34 percent of female opposite-sex victims.

About 85 percent of study participants in all three categories reported low satisfaction with life. Poor perceived health status was reported by 79 percent of same-sex victims, 84 percent of male opposite-sex victims, and 77 percent of female opposite-sex victims.

Bossarte and Blosnich did find that victims of same-sex violence who lived in urban areas were twice as likely as urban female opposite-sex victims to perceive their health as poor.

“The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual community may still face service-related and legal challenges that limit recognition of intimate partner violence victimization,” the researchers note.

They conclude: “Same-sex and opposite-sex victims experienced similar poor health outcomes, underscoring the need both of inclusive service provision and consideration of sexual orientation in population-based research.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, December 2009.

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