A Scoping Review and Conceptual Model Investigating Intersectionality in Intimate Partner Violence Research

• In Event: Understanding Intimate Partner Violence: New Perspectives

Abstract

Scholars widely acknowledge that a person's experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) cannot be understood without considering how intersectionality–various social positions shaped by race, gender, class, and sexuality intersect to create unique and complex experiences of violence within relationships. However, there is a limited comprehensive understanding of how intersectionality is represented in IPV research across the social sciences. Our scoping review helps fill this gap by analyzing and synthesizing 44 research articles published in English-language scholarly journals between 2008 and 2024. The following questions guide our work: (1) How is research on IPV and intersectionality designed and executed? (2) How do IPV researchers define the term intersectionality? (3) What aspects of intersectionality do IPV researchers emphasize? (4) What findings do studies on IPV that account for intersectionality reveal? Based on our synthesis and analysis, we offer a conceptual framework for how intersectional realities inform experiences of IPV. We also discuss key directions for future research to enhance approaches to integrating an intersectional lens into IPV research.

Authors

• Samantha Fusaro, John Jay College of Criminal Justice / CUNY Graduate Center

• Dominique Austin, John Jay College of Criminal Justice / CUNY Graduate Center