From The Globe and Mail–Intimate partner violence is similarly prevalent in same-sex relationships as in heterosexual ones, a new study from the University of Guelph has found.
The research, which was published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, is the largest peer-reviewed study of its kind to look at the issue of intimate partner violence in same-sex couples in Canada.
“It’s a first step only, but an important one – because it highlights the need to be specific and clear about the groups being examined and their experiences of violence, not only across groups but within groups as well,” University of Guelph Professor Myrna Dawson said.
Prof. Dawson leads the school’s Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence (CSSLRV), which oversaw the study. Researchers analyzed data from Statistics Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, which gathers data directly from police reports and was designed to measure the incidence of crime in Canada.