Dr' Emma Williamson Professor Marianne Hester

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Dr. Emma WilliamsonProfessor Marianne Hester

• LGBT Domestic Violence
• Examining the literature

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Contents

• Outline of the Home Office Project
• Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA)
• Key Research
• Literature which addresses LGBT perpetrators
• Recommendations (will appear in HO report)

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Exploring the service and support needs of male,
lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered and
black and other minority ethnic victims of
domestic and sexual violence Marianne Hester,
Emma Williamson, Geetanjali Gangoli, Mark Coulter
Linda Regan, Rebecca Davenport, Jocelyn
Watson Khatidja Chantler, Lorraine Green
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• Exploring the service and support needs of male,
  lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered and
  black and other minority ethnic victims of
  domestic violence. Rapid Evidence Assessment
  (REA) of the literature.
• Exploring the service and support needs of male,
  lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered and
  black and other minority ethnic victims of sexual
  violence. Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of the
  literature.
• Exploring the service and support needs of male,
  lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered and
  black and other minority ethnic victims of
  domestic violence.
• Exploring the service and support needs of male,
  lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered and
  black and other minority ethnic victims of sexual
  violence.

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REA process (1)

• Criteria to examine
• the extent and nature of domestic violence
• IMPACT
• service use
• and service need
• New REA assessment tool
• the framework for assessing qualitative
  evaluations developed by the National Centre for
  Social Research.
• The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP)
  tool for quantitative studies.

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• Does the study address a clearly focused
  question?
• Did the authors use an appropriate method to
  answer their question?
• Was the sample recruited in an acceptable way?
• Were data collection tools administered
  adequately?
• How well has the approach to and formulation of
  the analysis been conveyed?
• Contexts of data sources and confounding factors.
• If, longitudinal study was the follow-up of
  subjects complete and long enough?
• How credible are the findings?
• Can the results be applied to the local
  population?
• Do the results fit with other available evidence?

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REA process (2)

• Generic DV terms 2,121 hits.
• Sexual orientation including the terms
• Homosexual 27396 hits
• Same sex 11365 hits
• Lesbian 3222 hits
• Gay 6421 hits
• Bisexual 3350 hits
• Transgender 442 hits were carried out.

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• Linking the sexual orientation terms resulted in
  20,549 hits, which, when combined with the abuse
  and violence terms, resulted in 141 hits.
• These were then examined by hand.
• Hand searches were also conducted within the
  Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical
  Association 2000-2002 and Sex Roles.
• Further studies identified within the male victim
  search were included, as was a variety of grey
  literature.

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• Initial sifting culminated in the capture of 116
  items.
• A further 67 were excluded for the following
  reasons
• not about domestic/intimate violence
• relate to perpetrator only
• prevalence data only without consideration of
  impact
• not about LGBT.
• The remaining 49 items were considered in terms
  of the REA tool. There were 8 items relating to
  male BME victims, which were also considered
  separately.
• 13 items remained that were assessed as complying
  with the criteria.

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• Purposive studies
• Renzetti (1988, 1992) Merrill Wolfe (2000)
  Giorgio (2002) Ristock (2002) Balsam
  Szymanski (2005) Donovan Hester et al (2007)
  Houston McKirnan (2007)
• Clinical samples
• Heintz (2006) Robinson Rowlands (2006)
• Service provider perspectives
• Renzetti (1996) Blasko (2007) Helfrich
  Simpson (2006)

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Research which includes perpetrators

• Coleman. V.E. (2003) Treating the lesbian
  batterer theoretical and clinical considerations
  a contemporary psychoanalytic perspective, in
  Journal of aggression, maltreatment trauma, 7
  (1/2) 159-205.
• Theoretical paper which looks at the
  intrapsychic factors in the treatment of
  lesbian batterers. Looks at personality
  development in relation to
• Attachment theory
• State and Affect regulation
• Shame
• Pathological vindictiveness

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• Farley, N. (1996) "A Survey of Factors
  Contributing to Gay and Lesbian Domestic
  Violence", Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social
  Services, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 35-42.
• Qualitative study of gay male and lesbian
  perpetrators of DV.
• 288 Clients referred to perp programme. Males
  119, Females 169.
• Research to understand whether self abusing
  behaviour is predominant among these
  perpetrators. ALL psychologically abused as
  children. Very high rates of external abuse and
  self abusing in both lesbian and gay male group.

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• Fountain.K., and Skolnik.A.A. (2006) Lesbian,
  Gay, Bisexual and Transgender domestic violence
  in the United States in 2006. National Coalition
  of anti-violence programs.
• Useful outline of LGBT abuse. Local summaries
  highlight only 1 area where LGBT intervention
  programmes exist. L.A. Gay and Lesbian Centre
  has court approved batterer intervention
  programme.
• All other areas report lack of resources made
  more difficult due to legal discrimination re
  same-sex marriage.

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• Landolt, M. A. Dutton (1997) "Power and
  Personality An Analysis of Gay Male Intimate
  Abuse", Sex Roles A Journal of Research, vol.
  37, pp. 335-358.
• Looks at psychological profiling. Concludes
  abuse can occur in relatively egalitarian
  relationships.

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• Margolies, L., Leeder, E. (1995) Violence at the
  door Treatment of lesbian batterers. Violence
  Against Women, 1, 139-157.
• 30 lesbian batterers, psychological profiles.
• Suggests lesbian batterers are women who have
  broken the nor of compliant victim.
• Therefore challenging the boundaries of
  perpetrator and victim.

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• Marrujo, B., Kreger, M. (1996) Definitions of
  roles in abusive lesbian relationships. In
  Renzetti Miley (eds) Violence in gay and
  lesbian domestic relationships.
• 62 lesbian clients who were victims/perpetrators
  of domestic violence.
• Suggests third role, beyond perpetrator/victim,
  of participant.

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• Pattavina.A. (2007) A comparison of the police
  response to heterosexual versus same-sex intimate
  partner violence, Violence Against Women, 13 (4),
  374-394.
• Examines whether police respond the same to
  heterosexual and same sex domestic violence .
• For gay perpetrators of abuse, seeking help from
  formal services is actively discouraged by
  support groups who anticipate potentially
  volatile situations among groups of men already
  susceptible to violent behaviours 381.

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• Telesco.G.A. (2003) Sex role identity and
  jealousy as correlates of abusive behavior in
  lesbian relationships, Journal of Human Behaviour
  and the Social Environment, 8 (2/3) 153-69.
• 105 lesbians. Strong evidence of a relationship
  between jealousy and abusive behaviour.

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• Walder-Haugrud, L.K., Gratch, L.V., Magruder, B.
  (1997) Victimization and perpetration rates of
  violence in gay and lesbian relationships Gender
  issues explored, Violence and Victims, 12 (2)
  173-184.
• 283 gay men and lesbian women who experienced dv
  as victim and/or perpetrator.
• Lesbians reported perpetration rate of 38
• Gay men reported perpetration rate of 21.8.

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Key points/questions

• Are there differences in the DV perpetrated by
  heterosexual men, heterosexual women, gay men,
  and lesbian women?
• What are the different factors in the research?
• Previous abusive experiences as adults and
  children.
• Boundaries between perpetrators and victims.
• Different psychological profiles and responses.
• Do we currently provide any services for
  lesbian/gay perpetrators?
• What would such a service look like and how would
  it differ from current perpetrator programmes for
  heterosexual men?

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• Violence Against Women Research Group
• Gender Based Violence
• www.bristol.ac.uk/vawrg
• e.williamson_at_bristol.ac.uk