Intimate partner physical abuse perpetration and victimization risk factors: A meta-analytic review

Abstract

Evidence from 85 studies was examined to identify risk factors most strongly related to intimate partner physical abuse perpetration and victimization. The studies produced 308 distinct effect sizes. These effect sizes were then used to calculate composite effect sizes for 16 perpetration and 9 victimization risk factors. Large effect sizes were found between perpetration of physical abuse and five risk factors (emotional abuse, forced sex, illicit drug use, attitudes condoning marital violence, and marital satisfaction). Moderate effect sizes were calculated between perpetration of physical abuse and six risk factors (traditional sex-role ideology, anger/hostility, history of partner abuse, alcohol use, depression, and career/life stress). A large effect size was calculated between physical violence victimization and the victim using violence toward her partner. Moderate effect sizes were calculated between female physical violence victimization and depression and fear of future abuse.

Introduction

Intimate partner violence is a pervasive social problem that has devastating effects on all family members as well as on the larger community. A large body of research has focused on gaining a greater understanding of risk factors associated with physical abuse perpetration and victimization. Risk factors are characteristics associated with an increased likelihood that a problem behavior will occur. Although presence of one or more risk markers does not necessarily indicate that a causal relationship is present, the odds of an associated event are greater when one or more risk markers are present. Numerous risk factors have been found to be associated with partner violence. However, findings across studies are often contradictory, making it difficult to condense the information into a general scope of knowledge on the topic.

Meta-analysis is a statistical method for reviewing multiple studies across the relevant research literature and provides a method for comparison of separate studies made possible using effect sizes. The effect size is a statistical representation of the magnitude of the relationship between two variables. Statistical procedures standardize the data from each individual study and the standardized data are then reported as an effect size. Because results have been transformed to a common metric, the magnitude of effect sizes from different studies may be compared. In this article, we present results from a meta-analytic review designed to summarize data on intimate partner violence risk factors gained between the years of 1980 and 2000. In addition, this meta-analysis identifies areas that need additional empirical work.