# Trajectories of intimate partner violence among sexual minority youth

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $687,211

## Abstract

Project Summary
Sexual minority adolescents (SMA; ages 13-17) experience higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) than
their heterosexual peers, including being more likely to experience psychological and physical abuse, 9-11 and
being four times more likely to experience rape. 12 However, this emerging body of literature has a number of
significant limitations. First (Aim 1), studies have largely failed to look beyond victimization of IPV and have not
measured IPV perpetration among SMA. Second (Aim 1), studies of IPV among SMA have approached SMA
as a homogenous group and have not identified within-group differences in SMAs' experience of IPV, including
by race, ethnicity, gender identity, or urbanicity. Research has been inconclusive in these regards, making
hypotheses difficult, 13-20 although differences may inform intervention. Third (Aim 2), identified associations
between the experience of IPV and negative health outcomes (i.e. mental health symptomology, substance use,
homelessness) are largely cross-sectional: the temporal relationships between IPV and behavioral health for
SMA across adolescence remains unclear. 21 Fourth (Aim 3), almost nothing is known of the unique etiological
factors that influence IPV experiences for SMA. While cross-sectional studies have identified relationships
between sexuality-based minority stress 22 and sexual assault, 13, 23-26 the prospective literature is nearly
nonexistent. Finally (Aim 3), even less is known about how SMA-specific protective factors (such as access to
LGBT-friendly services) 27-28,29-33 may attenuate IPV trajectories. In general, the only longitudinal studies of IPV
among SMA to date are limited by (a) the inclusion of violence only in the context of dating; (b) a failure to assess
perpetration or bidirectional IPV; (c) a reliance on single-city urban samples largely composed of adults (18+);
and (d) the inclusion of no, or limited, measures of minority stress and resilience. We propose to address these
limitations, and to explain the prospective relationships between IPV experiences (including victimization and
perpetration), risk and resilience factors, and other behavioral health outcomes in a diverse cohort of SMA (ages
13–17 at baseline). We rely on methods refined in our prior work (1R01MD012252) to recruit a national sample
of diverse SMA (i.e., race and ethnicity, gender, urbanicity; N = 1,500) through a hybrid social media and
respondent-driven sampling strategy. We will follow participants for 36 months. Proposed by established MPIs
(Goldbach, Stephenson), Co-Is (Rhoades, Schrager), and a biostatistician (Mamey) in this area, 39-44 our efforts
are centered on identifying targets for future interventions to reduce the significant burden of IPV carried by this
population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10420906
- **Project number:** 1R01MD017244-01
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeremy Thomas Goldbach
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $687,211
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-19 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10420906

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10420906, Trajectories of intimate partner violence among sexual minority youth (1R01MD017244-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10420906. Licensed CC0.

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