Symposia
LGBQT+
Evan J. Basting, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Gloria Romero, M.S.
Student
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Alisa Garner, M.A.
Student
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Alyssa Medenblik, PhD
Student
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
M. Chrissy Jensen, Undergraduate Student
Student
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Ryan Shorey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
Gregory Stuart, PhD
Professor
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
LGBTQ+ young adults perpetrate dating violence (DV) at similar or higher rates as their cisgender and/or heterosexual peers (Shorey et al., 2019; National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2013). Prospective study findings suggested that people with greater PTSD symptoms may self-medicate with alcohol (Simpson et al., 2014). LGBTQ+ people also experience minority stressors, including heterosexist discrimination, that may relate to increased PTSD symptoms, alcohol consumption, and/or DV (Bandermann & Szymanski, 2014; Edwards & Sylaska, 2013; Villarreal et al., 2020). To examine how these risk factors relate to DV, this study tested the effects of PTSD symptoms, heterosexist discrimination, alcohol consumption, and interactions between each variable on forms of DV perpetration (i.e., physical, psychological, sexual). We expected elevations in variables across interactions (e.g., high heterosexist discrimination and high alcohol consumption) would predict the highest DV perpetration across forms.
LGBTQ+ young adults (N=230, Mage=21.59, 66.5% cis women, 17% gender diverse [e.g., trans women/men, non-binary], 16.5% cis men) completed the Heterosexist Harassment Rejection and Discrimination Scale (HHRDS), the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT-C) scale, and the verbal/emotional, physical, and sexual aggression subscales of the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI). Controlling for age and relationship length, we simultaneously regressed all forms of DV perpetration on total scores of the HHRDS, PCL-5, and AUDIT-C and interactions between these variables.
PTSD symptoms (B=.01, p=.001), alcohol consumption (B=.08, p=.024), and the interaction between PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption (B=.01, p=.041) were positively related to psychological DV perpetration. Specifically, PTSD symptoms were positively related to psychological DV perpetration at mean (B=.01, p< .001) and high (i.e., 1 SD above mean; B=.02, p< .001), but not low (i.e., 1 SD below mean; p=.35) levels of alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption was also related to increased physical DV perpetration (B=.03, p=.024). No predictor variables were related to sexual DV perpetration. These findings suggested that PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption, potential outcomes of minority stress, may drive increases in DV among LGBTQ+ people. Interventions targeting PTSD symptoms and/or alcohol consumption might be beneficial for reducing DV among LGBTQ+ people.