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Reconceptualizing and Operationalizing Context in Survey Research on Intimate Partner Violence

NCJ Number
236330
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 362-388
Author(s)
Taryn Lindhorst; Emiko Tajima
Date Published
March 2008
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the benefits of broadening the contextual operationalization of intimate partner violence in survey research.
Abstract
Survey research in the field of intimate partner violence is notably lacking in its attention to contextual factors. Early measures of intimate partner violence focused on simple counts of behaviors, yet attention to broader contextual factors remains limited. Contextual factors not only shape what behaviors are defined as intimate partner violence but also influence the ways women respond to victimization, the resources available to them, and the environments in which they cope with abuse. This article advances methods for reconceptualizing and operationalizing contextual factors salient to the measurement of intimate partner violence. The analytic focus of the discussion is on five dimensions of the social context: the situational context, the social construction of meaning by the survivor, cultural and historical contexts, and the context of systemic oppression. The authors consider how each dimension matters in the measurement of intimate partner violence and offer recommendations for systematically assessing these contextual factors in future research. (Published Abstract)