Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

ICS Travel Awards Sexuality is a broad term that is used to include biological sex, sexual acts, sexual feelings, gender roles, and attitudes towards sex (Jackson & Scott, 1996). Sexuality is a dynamic construct that can be influenced by many factors, including experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV is one factor that can affect women's sexuality (Burgess, 1983; Faravelli et al., 2004). The focus of this qualitative study is to understand how IPV impacts women's sexuality in a sample of women who have experienced IPV. A review of the literature describes the many existing barriers that make it difficult for women to develop a positive sexuality, and discusses what role IPV plays in this development (Cobia et al., 2008; Faravelli et al., 2004; Meston et al., 2006). This research project examined IPV survivors' experiences of their sexuality by analyzing 31 qualitative interviews using grounded theory methods (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The focus of this presentation will be on the effects of emotional abuse and e3motional-sexual abuse on sexuality for these 31 participants. The findings suggest that emotional abuse may be particularly damaging to sexuality. Resiliency factors have been found and will be discussed. These findings provide insight into female sexuality and IPV, specifically how emotional IPV impacts sexuality.