The assessment of domestic and family violence between same-sex couples

The causes of and interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) have been addressed and researched throughout the last several decades. This article provides a narrative overview of IPV in same-sex couples, often known as same-sex IPV (SSIPV). Despite the popular belief that IPV is just a problem in heterosexual relationships, numerous studies have shown that IPV is just as common in lesbian and gay couples as it is in heterosexual ones. While there were parallels between heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) IPV, LGB IPV had its own characteristics and dynamics. These characteristics are primarily linked to the detection and treatment of SSIPV in the community, as well as the necessity to examine the impact of sexual minority stresses. Our results indicate that there are few studies that address LGB people who are victims of IPV; this is mostly owing to the long-standing quiet in the LGB community about violence, a silence based on fears and misconceptions that has prevented a public debate on the issue. The major topics addressed in the published papers that we have examined have been recognized. Based on the evaluations, we believe it is critical to provide a space where this topic may be openly addressed and handled by both LGB and heterosexual individuals.