The Influence Of Gender Role Conflict On Perpetration And Victimization Of Intimate Partner Violence In Same Sex Male Relationships

Gender role conflict has long been thought to predict perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in heterosexual relationships, but the relationship between gender role conflict and IPV among same sex male relationships has yet to be adequately explored. The current study investigated how gender role conflict predicted both perpetration and victimization of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among 320 gay men, 159 who had experienced some form of partner abuse and 161 who endorsed no experiences of abuse. Gender role conflict, specifically a man's drive for success and use of competition to obtain power, significantly predicted IPV perpetration above and beyond being a recipient of abuse. A man's difficulty balancing work and family demands significantly predicted IPV victimization when controlling for perpetration. Implications of the relationship between these two variables, limitations of the study, and ideas for future research are also discussed.