Understanding and responding to intimate partner violence in the LGBTQ+ community: an implementation study

Evidence shows that people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other sexual and gender minoritised groups (LGBTQ+) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at similar or higher rates than their heterosexual counterparts. Despite this, current explanatory frameworks and interventions for IPV are overwhelmingly informed by research on heterosexual relationships. Poor understanding of how IPV affects LGBTQ+ people and a lack of appropriate services leads to decreased likelihood of victims seeking supports. Research has also documented worse outcomes for LGBTQ+ people than heterosexuals post-victimisation. The proposed project will quantify and describe partner violence in the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and Ireland, as well as identifying risk and protective factors for victimisation and perpetration. Grounded in the understanding that those who experience multiple and intersecting forms of disadvantage may be likely to experience higher risk and also be less likely to participate in research, this project will employ sampling and analytic techniques to ensure broad representation and examination of structural as well as individual risk factors. Using a participatory approach, community advocates and stakeholders will be involved from the outset, and findings will be implemented to improve evidence-based practices in provision of support services to LGBTQ+ IPV survivors.