Expanding Resource Theory and Feminist-Informed Theory to Explain Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration by Court-Ordered Men

Men's education and intimate partner violence-Beyond the victim-oriented perspective: Evidence from demographic and health surveys in Central Africa

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly received attention in the last three decades. However, IPV-related studies in both high- and low- and middle-income countries adopted a victim-oriented perspective in which men are perpetrators and women, the victims. Using socio-cultural and resource theories as guiding frameworks, this paper assessed the associations between men's education and IPV in Central Africa, using nationally representative data of married and cohabiting women of reproductive ages.

METHODS

Data included in the analyses come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Cameroon, Gabon, and Chad. Analyzed sub-samples consisted of 3421, 5023, 3930, and 3221 married/cohabiting women of reproductive ages in Chad, DRC, Cameroon, and Gabon, respectively.

RESULTS

Findings indicated significant variations of IPV prevalence within and across countries. Previous research demonstrated that men's education is a protective factor in health-related studies. The present study, however, provide no clear evidence on the linkages between men's education and IPV. In contrast, the paper substantiated that highly educated women were at higher risks of IPV when spouses/partners were less educated.

CONCLUSION

These findings have policy and programmatic implications because they might impede progress towards SDG goals on the elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women in Central Africa, which recorded the worst development indicators in sub-Saharan Africa. On a methodological note, studies are increasingly using pooled data to increase statistical power. Those studies can be very limited to devise effective IPV-interventions since they mask geographical variations within and across countries. More effective IPV-interventions should be culturally rooted and accounting for geographical variations because some areas are more affected than others.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Vietnam

Although socioeconomic inequality has been identified as a significant factor for violence against women, the connection between these two variables has not been widely recognized and addressed in many countries. This study aims to quantify the degree of socioeconomic inequalities in intimate partner violence (IPV) in Vietnam and investigate the contribution of each determinant factor that contributes to the observed inequality. We utilized the Vietnamese National Survey on Domestic Violence against Women (N = 4,019) for the analysis. Household wealth was used as a proxy for socioeconomic status. We used a concentration index to quantify the degree of socioeconomic inequality in emotional, physical, or sexual violence and a combination of these three types of violence. We further decomposed the concentration index to identify the contribution of each determinant to the observed inequality in IPV. We found that the prevalence of IPV was significantly concentrated among the worse-off across all types of IPV and that disparities in husband's occupation (48%), women's education (39%), husband's education (38%), and class (34%) were the primary factors contributing to increased inequalities in IPV. Our results indicated that higher education and engagement in skilled jobs were highly concentrated among the better-off, creating unequal distribution of these variables across wealth. Policy could mitigate the inequality in IPV by expanding women's access to education and economic opportunities. However, interventions should target both men and women and within couples because husband's characteristics also play an important role in explaining socioeconomic inequalities in IPV.

A test of the dyadic associations between ineffective arguing, emotional distress, and violence perpetration and victimization among couples seeking therapy

Researchers have tested associations between ineffective arguing and emotional distress among couples without relationship violence. Moreover, studies have demonstrated associations between physical violence perpetration and victimization in the aftermath of emotional distress. However, there is a paucity of research examining linkages between ineffective arguing, emotional distress, and physical violence perpetration or victimization. Dyadic data from 231 married, heterosexual couples seeking therapy were used to test a model examining pathways between ineffective arguing and physical violence perpetration and victimization through emotional distress. The hypothesized model was compared to two plausible alternative models. Results revealed higher levels of men's ineffective arguing were positively associated with men's physical violence perpetration, both directly and indirectly, through higher levels of emotional distress. Higher levels of men's ineffective arguing were associated with lower men's physical violence perpetration through higher levels of women's emotional distress. Results can inform the clinical treatment of interpersonal violence by targeting ineffective arguing and emotional distress.

Women's Employment and Intimate Partner Violence: Understanding the Role of Individual and Community Structural Drivers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Empirical findings on the relationship between women's employment and intimate partner violence (IPV) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are mixed. These varied findings may arise because research thus far has given insufficient attention to how individual attributes and community context shape the pathways between women's employment and IPV. Using publicly available Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 20 LMIC settings (n = 168,995), we investigate (1) how women's employment is associated with past-year IPV and (2) if associations differ by household- or community-level structural drivers of IPV: women's attitudes toward IPV, women's participation in household decision-making, and relative wealth. We fit mixed-effects logistic regression models exploring the total, individual, community, and contextual effects of women's employment on past-year IPV; effect measure modification by structural drivers; and cross-level interactions between community-level structural drivers and individual employment. Our analyses reveal positive associations between total (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31; 95% CI [1.27, 1.35]), individual (OR = 1.23; 95% CI [1.19, 1.27]), community (OR = 1.06; 95% CI [1.06, 1.07]), and contextual effects (OR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.03, 1.05]) of women's employment for IPV. Only individual wealth demonstrated statistically significant effect measure modification for the relationship between individual employment and past-year IPV (ratio of OR = 0.95; 95% CI [0.92, 0.99]). These findings suggest interventions that focus only on increasing women's employment may be associated with harmful increases in the occurrence of IPV, even when these interventions enable a large proportion of women in a community to be employed. Structural interventions that change norms of women's autonomy or attitudes toward IPV at the household or community levels may be insufficient to ameliorate these negative effects, whereas interventions that increase household wealth partly may buffer these effects.

Components of Hostile Masculinity and Their Associations With Male-Perpetrated Sexual Aggression Toward Women: A Systematic Review

Hostile masculinity and its components (i.e., sexual dominance, hostility toward women, adversarial sexual beliefs, rape myth acceptance, and acceptance of interpersonal violence) have received considerable research attention as predictors of male-perpetrated sexual aggression toward women. The current systematic review sought to synthesize and organize the extant literature. Studies were included in the systematic review if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal between the years 1990 and 2020, contained a male sample within the United States, analyzed quantitative data, and examined at least one component of hostile masculinity and its association with sexual aggression. Literature searches were conducted in three academic databases, and additional records were identified through references sections from known hostile masculinity research. A total of 95 articles met inclusion criteria and were integrated into the overview of results. The reviewed literature provided broad support for the association between hostile masculinity and sexual aggression, including evidence for the theoretical framework posited by the confluence model of sexual aggression. Prevention efforts are likely to find success by modifying hostile masculine characteristics among men, particularly within problematic environmental contexts. However, the review also highlighted the need for a uniform conceptualization and operational definition of hostile masculinity. Additionally, empirical work with diverse samples is necessary to determine the scope of generalizability and potential subcultural distinctions. Future research that addresses these limitations will contribute to the understanding and prevention of sexual aggression beyond what is provided by the extant literature.

Risk Factors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence against Chinese Women: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in China remains high. Understanding associated risk factors will help inform prevention. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify associated risk factors of intimate partner violence against women in mainland China.

METHODS

Nine English and Chinese databases were searched from 1 August 2008-2 August 2022. Reference lists of relevant studies supplemented the initial results. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence was used to assess article quality. Study results were combined in a narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

Nineteen eligible studies were identified. Examples of key intimate partner violence risk factors included: partner's low education or income, unhealthy habits (gambling), women's marital status, poor health or education, women's or partner's childhood abuse or witnessing thereof at home, or multiple children and husband dominance.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the significant changes in Chinese policies and the new law, IPV continues, and this review has highlighted vulnerable women who need identification and protection. Further study is needed of individual (e.g., psychological well-being), relationship/family, and society/cultural variables.

The Effect of Female Economic Empowerment Interventions on the Risk of Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Women's economic empowerment is an essential component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Not only is it an end in itself but it has further been promoted for its potential to create positive externalities, including the reduction of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, the link between economic empowerment and the risk of IPV remains theoretically ambiguous. Marital dependency theory predicts that women with more financial resources hold higher bargaining power and are in a better position to leave potentially abusive relationships. Conversely, Resource theory posits that an increase in women's financial resources may clash with traditional gender roles, which may prompt their partner to reassert their status through violent means. In light of this debate, we conducted a meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of economic empowerment interventions on IPV. Based on a total sample size of 44,772 participants and robust variance estimation, our meta-analysis shows that women's economic empowerment was associated with a significant reduction in the pooled measure of emotional, sexual, and physical IPV. We further documented tentative evidence suggesting that these effects may be amplified when additional gender sensitization training is included in such programs. Despite the overall positive effects, some included studies reported increases in IPV, primarily in the form of partners exerting controlling behavior and dominance over financial resources. Our results therefore emphasize a need to prioritize women's safety in the process of designing economic empowerment programs and to closely monitor the potential risk of conflict and violence within beneficiaries' households.

Food insecurity, depressive symptoms, and the salience of gendered family roles during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

Extensive research has indicated food insecurity to be associated with depressive symptoms, both of which have been indicated to increase globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies, however, have made use of nationally representative and longitudinal data to investigate this relationship, making causal claims difficult. In South Africa (SA), as with other low- and middle-income contexts, population-based studies have generally focused on mothers during the perinatal period and other vulnerable groups. This study made use of Cross-Lagged Dynamic Panel Models to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and the depressive symptoms of adults across three waves of the National Income Dynamics Survey–Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM) study collected in 2020 and 2021, a dataset nationally representative of all adults in SA in 2017. Stratification of the sample by gender, parenthood and marital statuses allowed for the assessment of gender differences in family roles that might account for differential impacts of food insecurity on mental health outcomes. The findings of this study indicated a significant impact of food insecurity on the depressive symptoms of adults. Controlling for stable trait-like individual differences eliminated much of this relationship, indicating partial or full mediation by unobserved factors. Gender differences in food security's association with depressive symptoms amongst cohabitating parents following the inclusion of individual effects provided support for a gendered role response. These findings provide further evidence of the complex interactions between sex, gender and health.

Critical Masculinity Studies and Research on Violence Against Women: An Assessment of Past Scholarship and Future Directions

This article investigates the role of critical masculinity theory on the field of violence against women (VAW). We conduct a meta-analysis to discern which theories of masculinity have been used within the journal Violence Against Women over the past 25 years. This search revealed that many articles use masculinity concepts but do not always articulate explicit theories of masculinity. We review hegemonic masculinity and male peer support, two of the most commonly used theories of masculinity and violence. We then discuss new developments within masculinity scholarship, including theories of manhood acts, inclusive masculinity, and hybrid masculinity, and consider how these perspectives can enhance the already robust scholarship on masculinity and VAW.

Association of State Firearm Legislation With Female Intimate Partner Homicide

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to assess the association between state firearm legislation and female intimate partner homicide.

METHODS

In 2017, the authors conducted a secondary data analysis of 16 states from 2010 to 2014, using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, the State Firearm Law Database, and additional public sources. Poisson regression analyses quantified the association between the number of state restrictive firearm legislative provisions and the female population-based intimate partner homicide rate. For etiologic reasons, intimate partner homicide was disaggregated into homicide-suicide (intimate partner homicide followed by perpetrator suicide) and homicide-only intimate partner homicide (intimate partner homicide in the absence of perpetrator suicide).

RESULTS

There were 1,693 female intimate partner homicide deaths in the 16 states during 2010-2014; 67% were homicide-only intimate partner homicide. The number of state-level legislative provisions related to firearm restrictions ranged from four (Alaska) to 95 (Massachusetts). The intimate partner homicide rate in states with zero to 39 provisions was 1.16 per 100,000 person years (95% CI=1.10, 1.22) and in states with >40 provisions was 0.68 per 100,000 person years (95% CI=0.61, 0.72). The incidence of female intimate partner homicide was 56% lower in states with ≥40 legislative provisions (adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.44, 95% CI=0.28, 0.68), relative to states with zero to 39 provisions. This protective association was stronger for homicide-only intimate partner homicide than homicide-suicide intimate partner homicide.

CONCLUSIONS

More state-level restrictive firearm legislation is associated with a lower rate of female intimate partner homicides.

Accessing and Recruiting a Community-Based Sample of Men of Mexican Origin to Explore Intimate Partner Violence

INTRODUCTION

Vulnerable populations are at greater risk for the burden of disease and negative health outcomes including alcohol abuse, high-risk sexual behavior, and intimate partner violence (IPV). Moreover, health disparities experienced by vulnerable populations are mediated by socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial factors. Risk factors for IPV perpetration are exacerbated by cultural and gender norms, particularly among men of Mexican origin.

PURPOSE

To discuss research methods used in a community-based sample of men of Mexican origin and ways to overcome recruitment barriers through community engaged approaches.

DISCUSSION

Barriers can impede sampling, recruitment, and enrollment of vulnerable populations (e.g., IPV) but can be overcome. Strategies include: qualitative research methods, identifying key informants, and community engagement approaches, such as listening to the concerns of the community, incorporating the community's knowledge to inform and improve the study, and building rapport to establish trust.

CONCLUSION

Conducting research within vulnerable populations can be challenging but can be mitigated by incorporating multiple strategies. Thus, allowing researchers to gain access and valuable insight into traditionally underrepresented and understudied populations.

Reflections of Men of Mexican Origin: A Grounded Theory Study of Intimate Partner Violence Risk Factors

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a societal problem with many repercussions for the health care and judicial systems. In the United States, women of color are frequently affected by IPV and experience negative, physical, and mental ramifications. Increasing IPV perpetration and perpetration recurrence rates among men of Mexican origin (MMO) warrants a better understanding of unique risk factors that can only be described by these men. Qualitative studies regarding MMO and distinct IPV risk factors among this populace are few and infrequent. The purpose of this study was to describe IPV risk factors among men of MMO and to describe the process by which these men are able to overcome IPV perpetration risk factors. Fifty-six men of Mexican origin from a low-income housing community in far-west Texas were recruited for participation in audiotaped focus groups. Grounded theory (GT) methodology techniques were utilized to analyze, translate, and transcribe focus group data. Data collection ended when saturation occurred. Participants described risk factors for IPV. Emerging themes included: environment as a context, societal view of MMO, family of origin, normalcy, male and female contributing factors to IPV, and breaking through. Theme abstractions led to the midrange theory of Change Through Inspired Self-Reflection which describes the process of how MMO move from IPV perpetration to nonviolence. The results of the study provide insight on what MMO believe are IPV risk factors. There are implications for clinicians who provide services to MMO, and provide the impetus for future research among this population.

Risk Factors for Hispanic Male Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration

The literature review analyzed 24 studies that explored male intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration risk factors among men, in particular Hispanics, using the socioecological model framework composed of four socioecological levels for violence prevention. Six databases were reviewed within the EBSCO search engine for articles published from 2000 to 2014. Articles reviewed were specific to risk factors for IPV perpetration among Hispanic men, focusing particularly on Mexican American men. Many key factors have previously been associated with risk for IPV perpetration; however, certain determinants are unique to Hispanics such as acculturation, acculturation stress, and delineated gender roles that include Machismo and Marianismo. These risk factors should be incorporated in future targeted prevention strategies and efforts and capitalize on the positive aspects of each to serve as protective factors.

Couples Counseling for Aboriginal Clients Following Intimate Partner Violence: Service Providers' Perceptions of Risk

Interventions for family violence in Aboriginal communities should take a culture-based approach and focus on healing for the whole family. The purpose of this research was to identify risk issues from the perspective of service providers for couples counseling with Aboriginal clients following intimate partner violence. A total of 25 service providers participated in over the phone interviews concerning risk with Aboriginal men in couple counseling. Five concepts emerged including (a) collaterals, (b) commitment to change, (c) violence, (d) mind-set, and (e) mental health. It was concluded that culturally competent interventions should involve the entire community and have a restorative approach. The concepts were compared and contrasted with the available literature.