Intimate Partner Violence Among Bisexual-Spectrum Cisgender Undergraduate Women and Their Heterosexual Counterparts: A Preliminary Investigation

Abstract

This study examined intimate partner violence (IPV) and identity abuse (i.e., partner violence targeting someone’s sexual orientation) among bisexual-spectrum and heterosexual cisgender undergraduate women in relation to their mental health and academic adjustment. Participants were first- and second-year bisexual-spectrum (n = 81) and heterosexual (n = 243) undergraduate cisgender women at a large, public university in the Midwest. IPV was prevalent in the sample, but bisexual-spectrum cisgender women who had been in relationships were significantly more likely to report IPV than their heterosexual counterparts (77.44% vs. 44.44% respectively). Over half of bisexual-spectrum cisgender women in dating relationships reported identity abuse. Most participants that experienced identity abuse indicated the perpetrator was heterosexual and/or a cisgender man. Sexual orientation did not moderate the relationship between IPV and depression, anxiety, or negative academic adjustment outcomes. Universities should integrate education on LGBTQ oppressions into their primary prevention programs, while also continuing to bolster IPV prevention and intervention efforts.

Keywords:

• Bisexual
• university
• college
• identity abuse
• IPV
• dating violence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Allyson M. Blackburn

Allyson M. Blackburn is a doctoral candidate in Clinical/Community Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nicole E. Allen

Nicole E. Allen is a Professor of Human and Organizational Development at the Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.

Breana Griffin

Breana Griffin is a doctoral student in Clinical/Community Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Rachel C. Garthe

Rachel C. Garthe is an associate professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.