Male Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence: Syndemic Theory, Minority Stress Theory, & the Community of Protective Measures

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is an underreported, stigmatized, and deleterious reality affecting a higher proportion of men who have sex with men (MSM) than their heterosexual counterparts. The constructs of two theories have shown strong associations with male samesex intimate partner violence (MSSIPV). Syndemic theory suggests that many health conditions do not occur in a vacuum, but rather act synergistically, with factors reinforcing each other. Constructs of syndemic theory for MSSIPV include depression, sexual compulsivity, poly-substance use, childhood sexual abuse, and HIV infection. Minority stress theory suggests that many health conditions, including MSSIPV, may be a function of discrimination, perceived stigma, and internalized homophobia. Less is known about potential protective measures against MSSIPV, a construct captured by the community of protective measures theory which includes such factors as social support, sexual orientation “outness” (the extent to which a person’s sexual orientation is known to their family, friends, co-workers and others), and safe sex behaviors (or the lack of high-risk sexual behaviors). The goal of this dissertation study was to investigate the relative contributions of the three theories to two outcome variables of MSSIPV: victimization and perpetration. This secondary analysis of an existing dataset of the correlates of syndemic theory, minority stress theory, and the community protective measures was performed to provide new information for developing interventions to address MSSIPV.