Attitudes toward Dating Violence: How does sexual identity influence perceptions?

• In Event: Victimization Experiences from Childhood through Early Adulthood

Abstract

In the current study we explore how sexual identity affects attitudes toward dating violence. Using a survey of 1,645 college students we examine attitudes toward different forms of dating violence and justifications for such violence. It is important to explore how sexual identity influences perceptions of intimate partner violence because recent research suggests that rates among LGBT individuals are equal to or higher than IPV rates among heterosexuals (Walters, Chen, & Breiding, 2013). Implications for theory, practice, and future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Courtney Crittenden, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

• Christina Policastro, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

• Helen Eigenberg, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga