Recommendations for Measuring Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Equity Among Queer and Trans Young Women and Non-Binary Youth in British Columbia Canada.

Abstract

Extensive research documents the negative impacts of inequitable intimate relationship power dynamics on gender equity for cisgender, heterosexual women. However, limited research has explored this issue among queer and trans young women and non-binary youth aged 16-29, partly due to inadequate measurement tools. We aimed to (1) explore youth perceptions of existing scales that measure gender and relationship equity; and (2) develop recommendations for adapting and developing such measures for use among queer, trans, and non-monogamous young women and non-binary youth. Thirty youth (14 [46.7%] women [inclusive of transgender women] and 16 [53.3%] non-binary) aged 17-29 in a current (n = 23 [76.6%]) or recent (in past year, n = 7 [23.4%]) queer relationships and residing in British Columbia, Canada, completed qualitative cognitive interviews between August and November 2022. Scales assessed failed to acknowledge diverse relationship experiences, were at times hurtful, and lacked applicability depending on youth access needs, sexual orientation, gender, and relationship type. Youth highlighted that diversity and representation matter and recommended that future measures of relationship power should capture financial equity, shared responsibility, and emotional labor. To track and advance gender equity, existing scales must be adapted to be inclusive of queer, trans, and non-monogamous youth relationship dynamics.