Gender and Relationship Length Factors Associated with Recognition of and Attitudes towards Intimate Partner Violence
Authors:
Rachel Mendez, Belen Oceguera, Jessica Raygoza, Carlos Vidales, Erika Zambrano-MoralesMentor:
Gaithri Fernando, Associate Professor Department of Psychology, California State University Los AngelesIntimate Partner Violence (IPV) continues to be a topic of concern for researchers and the public alike. On average, about 4 women a day are murdered by their intimate partner in the United States. Victims of IPV span across social classes and ethnic groups and so prevention of IPV is of importance to everyone. To prevent IPV, it is important to be able to recognize it. The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes towards and recognition of IPV in college students. 171 college students (women= 118; mean age=21.71) were surveyed from a diverse urban university. Participants completed a survey, including the Intimate Partner Violence Recognition Index (IPV-RI; score range 0-27, with higher scores indicating greater ability to recognize IPV) and the Intimate Partner Violence Acceptance Scale (IPVAS; score range 28-112, with higher scores indicating a greater tolerance of IPV as a means of resolving conflict), following four brief videos depicting various examples of IPV. Results showed that women (M= 45.53) were significantly less accepting of IPV than men (M= 50.19). Furthermore, there were significant differences between groups varying in length of relationship. Specifically, those who were in the early stages of their relationship, 1-6 months (M= 55, SD= 7.8), displayed greater acceptance of IPV than those who had been in a relationship for a greater length of time (7-12 months, 1-2 years, and 2 years or more).These results suggest that there should be a greater emphasis placed on educating men on IPV. Similarly, special attention should be placed on couples who are in the early stages of their relationship who may be more vulnerable to IPV.