Research has suggested that same sex couples experience interpersonal violence (IPV) at similar rates to opposite sex partners. Within the mental health and law enforcement communities, there has been a limited, but growing awareness of same sex IPV (SSIPV). The presence of heterosexism and endorsement of domestic violence myths among psychologists and police officers has the potential to undermine the recognition of SSIPV and contribute to unequal and insufficient services for sexual minority victims compared to heterosexual victims. Social scientists had not yet compared police officers' and psychologists' perceptions of SSIPV or examined how these professionals' perceptions were influenced by the endorsement of heterosexist attitudes and domestic violence myths. To investigate these relationships, the present study compared male and female police officers' and psychologists' perceptions of IPV in same sex and opposite sex partnerships. Using a combined sample of 137 psychologists and law enforcement personnel, fictitious vignettes of SSIPV and opposite sex IPV (OSIPV) were presented online. Participants answered researcher-generated questions about perceptions of violence, as well as self-report measures of heterosexism and domestic violence myth acceptance. Results showed that police officers and psychologists, regardless of sex, did not differ in their perceptions of same sex and other sex IPV. However, differences did emerge in general measures of IPV severity, sexual prejudice, and beliefs in justified violence. Police officers perceived IPV incidents as less severe, perceived the couple as more likely to resolve future conflict nonviolently, and recommended the couple contact law enforcement at a higher frequency than psychologists. Police officers also endorsed more domestic violence myths and heterosexist attitudes than psychologists, and male officers endorsed the most myths and heterosexist beliefs. Finally, domestic violence myth acceptance significantly predicted participants' perceptions of violence severity, and both myth acceptance and participants' occupation predicted their perceptions of mutual partner responsibility. The findings suggested that first responders and psychologists acknowledge the reality and seriousness of SSIPV, but sexual prejudice and beliefs in justified violence persist. Given the potential for these biases to undermine the provision of adequate victim services, the need for continued training among police and psychologists was discussed.
展开▼
