NCJ Number
212029
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2005 Pages: 393-406
Date Published
August 2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined the rates and risk factors of unidirectional and bidirectional intimate partner violence (IPV) among White, African-American, and Hispanic couples in the United States.
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern and problem in the United States. Evidence from previous research indicates that rates of IPV are higher among African-Americans and Hispanics than Whites. This article examined the extent to which White, African-American, and Hispanic couples in the national household sample engage in unidirectional violence, where only one partner perpetrates the violence (i.e., either male-to-female partner violence (MFPV) or female-to-male partner violence (FMPV) alone) or bidirectional violence, in which both partners perpetrate violence (i.e., MFPV and FMPV together. The number of couples participating in the study consisted of 1,635 couples representative of married and cohabiting couples in the 48 contiguous United States with over samples of African-America and Hispanic couples. The results indicate that most couples reporting violence engage in bidirectional IPV. African-Americans were more likely than Whites to report bidirectional IPV. Also, severe unidirectional and bidirectional IPV were more common among African-Americans and Hispanics. The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing different types of IPV and have important epidemiological and prevention implications. Tables, references