Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among College Students: Do Gender Attitude and Acceptance of Gendered Violence Matter?

• In Event: Violence, Crime, & Intimate Partners: Causes and Responses

Abstract

Literature in intimate partner violence among college students mostly focuses on students drinking and drug use behaviors as risk factors, but relatively few studies discuss students’ attitudes reading gender roles and gendered violence in relation to intimate partner abuse. To narrow the gap, this study examines how college students’ gender attitude and acceptance of gendered violence affect their perpetration of intimate partner abuse. Additionally, this study adopts crime-specific approach to observe four types of intimate partner abuse perpetration: power control, physical violence, verbal abuse, and threat to injury or attempted injury with weapons. The data were collected from 657 students who enrolled in a midsized university located in the Midwest. Findings, implications, and limitations are discussed in the study.

Authors

• Shih-Ya Kuo, University of Macau

• Steven J. Cuvelier, Sam Houston State University