Citation

Zavala E, Guadalupe-Diaz X. J. Aggression Maltreat. Trauma 2019; 28(9): 1069-1090.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10926771.2018.1430641

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Criminological theories traditionally used to explain crime and deviance have now been applied to explain physical intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by heterosexual and LGBQ victims. Notably missing, however, are studies that test theories that explain why individuals may become victims of emotional abuse by sexual orientation. To this end, we applied target congruence theory to examine the influence of target vulnerability, gratifiability, and antagonism on emotional abuse experienced by college students. Data obtained from two public universities (Heterosexuals=366, LGBQ=113) showed partial support for the theory, with target vulnerability consistently predicting emotional abuse victimization regardless of sexual orientation.

Language: en

Keywords

Emotional abuse; sexual orientation; target antagonism; target gratifiability; target vulnerability