부산대학교 도서관

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most recurrent forms of human rights violations against women. However, this area lacks research on the victimization process in homosexual relationships. The perception of social support (PSS) refers to the subjective assessment that individuals make of the quality, frequency, and availability of support they receive from people or relevant institutions. PSS is considered a protective factor for resilience and mental health in victims of violence in a homosexual relationship. The aim of the study was to carry out a confirmatory analysis of the correlation between violence suffered in women’s homosexual relationships and the perception of social support. The sample consisted of 423 Brazilian lesbian women, aged between 18 and 54 years. Participants answered three online instruments: Brazil Socioeconomic Classification Criteria, Conflict Tactics Scale (Short Version), and Scale of Perceived Social Support (adult version). The number of classes obtained in this study, through latent class analysis, confirmed the number of classes in an earlier exploratory study (Class 1, low IPV and high PSS; Class 2, low IPV and low PSS; Class 3, high IPV and high PSS; and Class 4, high IPV and low PSS). The results of this investigation also partially confirmed the hypotheses raised a priori, that the perception of social support could reduce the prevalence of intimate partner violence, as seen in a sub-group of participating women. Other psychological and social variables should be included in future studies to detect additional variables that are directly associated with the reduction of violence in relationships of lesbian women.