ABSTRACT
Domestic violence and abuse within female same-sex relationships is a relatively new research area. Although the vast majority of the published studies have examined this phenomenon in opposite-sex relationships, where the victims are usually women, the number of studies analyzing partner abuse within female same-sex couples has gradually increased. The main purpose of this chapter is to review and summarize what is known to date about the extent and nature of partner abuse within female same-sex couples.
Most studies on this topic have been conducted in the USA and have focused primarily on younger and midlife adults, rather than adolescents and older people. They have also focused on White females rather than females from Black or minority ethnic backgrounds. Different definitions of abuse and multiple measurement instruments have been used, which makes it difficult to make meaningful comparisons of abuse prevalence across studies. However, all the forms of partner abuse occur in female same-sex couples and they also tend to co-occur. Psychological abuse and middle or minor forms of violence are the most prevalent forms of domestic violence and abuse within female same-sex couples, while bi-directional violence seems to be a common pattern in female relationships.
As regards correlates, partner abuse in female same-sex relationships shares risk factors with opposite-sex partner abuse (e.g. previous partner abuse experience, family history of violence, relationship satisfaction, insecure attachment style, and alcohol use). However, there are unique or specific factors linked to partner abuse in female same-sex relationships that stem from the heterosexist context (i.e. sexual minority stressors) in which the women are immersed or that are characteristics of the relationship dynamics (i.e. fusion).
