Abstract
Heterosexual men and women who report more than the average number of sexual partners also report greater exposure to interpersonal violence and substance use. This relationship is less well-understood in sexual minorities (e.g., gay, lesbian, and bisexual). In the current study, data from 12,407 participants from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were examined. Psychological and sociological risk factors were controlled for in the analyses which included self-control, religiosity, depression, marital and cohabiting status, educational attainment, and employment. While exceptions are noted, the results overall lend support to the hypothesis that relationships with the opposite sex carry a greater risk of exposure to violence and substance use than do same-sex relationships. This was the case for heterosexual men and women, and also held true within some groups of sexual minorities. Among hetero and mostly heterosexual men, competition for women was found to be especially risky for violence perpetration, perhaps because the likely rivals would include other heterosexual men. The significant effects of same-sex partners were largely limited to women but were also significant and negative for heterosexual men’s drug use. Mostly heterosexual and bisexual individuals were found to have experienced more violence/victimization, used more drugs, and drank to the point of getting drunk more often (on average) than other sexual minorities. Controlling for psychological and sociological risk factors did not explain the effects of sexual orientation or sexual experience. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Data for this study is available upon request from: https://addhealth.cpc.unc.edu/
References
Antonelli, M. A., & Sembiante, S. F. (2022). A systematic review of research on LGBTQ educators’ experiences and LGBTQ curriculum in K-12 US public schools. Multicultural Education Review, 14(2), 134–152.
Bailey, N. W., & Zuk, M. (2009). Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 24(8), 439–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.014
Barringer, M. N. (2020). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals’ perceptions of American religious traditions. Journal of Homosexuality, 67(9), 1173–1196. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2019.1582221
Beaver, K. M., Connolly, E. J., Schwartz, J. A., Boutwell, B. B., Barnes, J. C., & Nedelec, J. L. (2016). Sexual orientation and involvement in nonviolent and violent delinquent behaviors: Findings from the National longitudinal study of adolescent to adult health. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(7), 1759–1769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0717-3
Borkowska, B., & Pawlowski, B. (2014). Recreational drug use and fluctuating asymmetry: Testing the handicap principle. Evolutionary Psychology, 12(4), 147470491401200420.
Boyle, S. C., LaBrie, J. W., & Omoto, A. M. (2020). Normative substance use antecedents among sexual minorities: A scoping review and synthesis. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 7(2), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000373
Browne, K., & Bakshi, L. (2013). We are here to party? Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans leisurescapes beyond commercial gay scenes. Sexualities, spaces and leisure studies (pp. 81–98). Routledge.
Buss, D. M. (2006). The murderer next door: Why the mind is designed to kill. Penguin.
Buss, D. M. (2016). The evolution of desire: Strategies of human mating. Hachette UK.
Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12(1), 1–14.
Campbell, A., Muncer, S., & Bibel, D. (2001). Women and crime: An evolutionary approach. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 6(5), 481–497. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1359-1789(00)00019-7
Cohen, L. E., & Felson, M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, 44(4), 588–608. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094589
Conron, K. J., Goldberg, S. K., & Halpern, C. T. (2018). Sexual orientation and sex differences in socioeconomic status: A population-based investigation in the national longitudinal study of adolescent to adult health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 72(11), 1016–1026. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2017-209860
Craig, J. M., Diamond, B., & Piquero, A. R. (2014). Marriage as an intervention in the lives of criminal offenders. Effective interventions in the lives of criminal offenders (pp. 19–37). Springer.
Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1988). Homicide. Transaction Publishers.
Darwin, C. (1871). Sexual selection and the descent of man. Murray.
Duke, A. A., Smith, K. M. Z., Oberleitner, L. M. S., Westphal, A., & McKee, S. A. (2018). Alcohol, drugs, and violence: A meta-meta-analysis. Psychology of Violence, 8(2), 238–249. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000106
Edwards, K. M., & Sylaska, K. M. (2013). The perpetration of intimate partner violence among LGBTQ college youth: The role of minority stress. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(11), 1721–1731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9880-6
Fish, J. N., & Russell, S. T. (2018). Have mischievous responders misidentified sexual minority youth disparities in the national longitudinal study of adolescent to adult health?. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(4), 1053–1067. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0993-6
Gamson, J., & Moon, D. (2004). The sociology of sexualities: Queer and beyond. Annual Review of Sociology, 30(1), 47–64. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110522
Ganna, A., Verweij, K. J., Nivard, M. G., Maier, R., Wedow, R., Busch, A. S., & Lundström, S. (2019). Large-scale GWAS reveals insights into the genetic architecture of same-sex sexual behavior. Science, 365(6456), 7693.
Garcia, J. R., Reiber, C., Massey, S. G., & Merriwether, A. M. (2012). Sexual hookup culture: A review. Review of General Psychology, 16(2), 161–176.
Gottfredson, M. R., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford University Press.
Gottlieb, A., & Sugie, N. F. (2019). Marriage, cohabitation, and crime: Differentiating associations by partnership stage. JQ Justice Quarterly, 36(3), 503–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2018.1445275
Griskevicius, V., Tybur, J. M., Sundie, J. M., Cialdini, R. B., Miller, G. F., & Kenrick, D. T. (2007). Blatant benevolence and conspicuous consumption: When romantic motives elicit strategic costly signals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(1), 85. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.1.85
Hitsch, G. J., Hortaçsu, A., & Ariely, D. (2010). What makes you click?—Mate preferences in online dating. Quantitative Marketing and Economics, 8, 393–427.
Jonnson, M. R., Bird, B. M., Li, S. M., & Viljoen, J. L. (2019). The prevalence of sexual and gender minority youth in the justice system: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 46(7), 999–1019.
Kacir, C. D. (2010). The evolutionary bases of substance use and abuse. In Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table. Forum on Public Policy.
Kahle, E. M., Veliz, P., McCabe, S. E., & Boyd, C. J. (2020). Functional and structural social support, substance use and sexual orientation from a nationally representative sample of US adults. Addiction, 115(3), 546–558.
Koeppel, M. D. H. (2015). Assessing the association between self-control and self-reported criminal behaviors between sexual orientation groups. Criminal Justice Review, 40(2), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734016814549236
Krueger, E. A., Fish, J. N., & Upchurch, D. M. (2020). Sexual orientation disparities in substance use: Investigating social stress mechanisms in a national sample. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 58(1), 59–68.
Lefevor, G. T., Davis, E. B., Paiz, J. Y., & Smack, A. C. (2021). The relationship between religiousness and health among sexual minorities: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 147(7), 647.
LeVay, S. (2011). Gay, straight, and the reason why: The science of sexual orientation. Oxford University Press.
Li, Gu., Kung, K. T. F., & Hines, M. (2017). Childhood gender-typed behavior and adolescent sexual orientation: A longitudinal population-based study. Developmental Psychology, 53(4), 764–777. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000281
Litschi, A., Gordon, D., Porter, A., Regnerus, M., Ryngaert, J., & Sarangaya, L. (2014). Relationships in America Survey. The Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture.
Luoto, S., Krams, I., & Rantala, M. J. (2019). A life history approach to the female sexual orientation spectrum: Evolution, development, causal mechanisms, and health. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(5), 1273–1308.
Marshal, M. P., Friedman, M. S., Stall, R., King, K. M., Miles, J., Gold, M. A., Bukstein, O. G., & Morse, J. Q. (2008). Sexual orientation and adolescent substance use: A meta-analysis and methodological review. Addiction, 103(4), 546–556. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02149.x
McCarthy, B., & Casey, T. (2008). Love, sex, and crime: Adolescent romantic relationships and offending. American Sociological Review, 73(6), 944–969.
McClintock, E. A. (2014). Beauty and status: The illusion of exchange in partner selection? American Sociological Review, 79(4), 575–604. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122414536391
McKay, T., Lindquist, C. H., & Misra, S. (2019). Understanding (and acting on) 20 years of research on violence and LGBTQ + communities. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 20(5), 665–678. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838017728708
Messerschmidt, J. W. (2018). Masculinities and crime: A quarter century of theory and research. Rowman & Littlefield.
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674
Miller, G. (2000). Sexual selection for indicators of intelligence. Novartis Foundation Symposium, 233, 260–270.
Miller, J. (2013). Individual offending, routine activities, and activity settings: Revisiting the routine activity theory of general deviance. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 50(3), 390–416.
Montano, G. T., Thoma, B. C., Paglisotti, T., Weiss, P. M., Shultz, M. K., McCauley, H. L., Miller, E., & Marshal, M. P. (2018). 60-Disparities in parental support and parental attachment between heterosexual and sexual minority youth: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62, S32–S33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.11.065
Nedelec, J. L., & Beaver, K. M. (2012). The association between sexual behavior and antisocial behavior. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 28(3), 329–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986212450230
Ozkan, T., Rocque, M., & Posick, C. (2019). Reconsidering the link between depression and crime: A longitudinal assessment. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 46(7), 961–979.
Quigg, Z., Bigland, C., Hughes, K., Duch, M., & Juan, M. (2020). Sexual violence and nightlife: A systematic literature review. Aggression and Violent Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.10136
Richardson, D., & Hammock, G. S. (2007). Social context of human aggression: Are we paying too much attention to gender? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, 417–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2006.11.001
Rostosky, S. S., & Riggle, E. D. (2017). Same-sex relationships and minority stress. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 29–38.
Rowe, D. C., Vazsonyi, A. T., & Figueredo, A. J. (1997). Mating-effort in adolescence: A conditional or alternative strategy. Personality and Individual Differences, 23(1), 105–115.
Sampson, R. J., & Laub, J. H. (1990). Crime and deviance over the life course: The salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55(5), 609–627. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095859
Seffrin, P. M. (2017). The competition–violence hypothesis: Sex, marriage, and male aggression. Justice Quarterly, 34(4), 652–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2016.1216153
Stephenson, R., & Finneran, C. (2017). Minority stress and intimate partner violence among gay and bisexual men in Atlanta. American Journal of Men’s Health, 11(4), 952–961. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316677506
Taggart, T. C., Rodriguez-Seijas, C., Dyar, C., Elliott, J. C., Thompson, R. G., Jr., Hasin, D. S., & Eaton, N. R. (2019). Sexual orientation and sex-related substance use: The unexplored role of bisexuality. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 115, 55–63.
Udry, J. R., & Chantala, K. (2002). Risk assessment of adolescents with same-sex relationships. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31(1), 84–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00374-9
Vazsonyi, A. T., Mikuška, J., & Kelley, E. L. (2017). It’s time: A meta-analysis on the self-control-deviance link. Journal of Criminal Justice, 48, 48–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2016.10.001
Vrangalova, Z., & Savin-Williams, R. C. (2014). Psychological and physical health of mostly heterosexuals: A systematic review. The Journal of Sex Research, 51(4), 410–445.
Walters, M. L., Breiding, M. J., & Chen, J. (2013). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 findings on victimization by sexual orientation.
Whitfield, D. L., Coulter, R. W., Langenderfer-Magruder, L., & Jacobson, D. (2021). Experiences of intimate partner violence among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender college students: The intersection of gender, race, and sexual orientation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(11–12), 6040–6064.
Wolfe, D. A., Crooks, C., Jaffe, P., Chiodo, D., Hughes, R., Ellis, W., & Donner, A. (2009). A school-based program to prevent adolescent dating violence: A cluster randomized trial. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(8), 692–699.
Yao, S., Långström, N., Temrin, H., & Walum, H. (2014). Criminal offending as part of an alternative reproductive strategy: Investigating evolutionary hypotheses using Swedish total population data. Evolution and Human Behavior, 35(6), 481–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.06.007
Zahavi, A. (1975). Mate selection—A selection for a handicap. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 53(1), 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-5193(75)90111-3
Funding
No funding was provided for this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors endorse no competing financial or non-financial interests regarding this study.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Marywood University.
Consent to Participate
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Consent to Publish
The participant has consented to the submission of the case report to the journal.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Seffrin, P., Teeple, J. Mate Choice, Exposure to Violence, Victimization, and Substance Use: A Comparison of Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Experiences. Sexuality & Culture (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-023-10190-z
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-023-10190-z