The hidden toxicity in lesbian relationships

Abstract

This research aims to analyze patterns of abusive relationships between lesbian couples. The complete study was run by a qualitative and quantitative approach with exploratory features. The subpart here presented refers to a segment of quantitative results. The participants were 46 women that describes themselves as lesbian, with ages between 20 and 40 years (x=26.5; sd=5.2). Data were collected by an electronic formulary and analysis run with SPSS 20.0. Results indicate that 95.64% of participants have passed through one or more lesbian abusive relationships. This pattern occurs despite of high scholarly level of the sample. It's also possible to detect some limits to identify their experience in previous abusive relationships. The results reinforce what scarce literature presents: the frequency of abuse in lesbian relationships, although underinvestigated, is high. The study infers that this abusive pattern can be somehow related to the social construction of feminine roles. Finally, it emphasized the relevance of the issue and the need for additional studies.