Southern Subculture of Violence: Regional Differences and Factors that Influence Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in the United States

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

There has been a considerable amount of research focusing on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States, but it appears research recently has not emphasized regional differences in victimization and explored why these differences may exist. This oversight is troubling because, as recent as 2014, research suggests that the Southern and Midwest regions of the United States seem to have higher rates of violent crime, in general, compared to other areas. In the past, Loftin and Hill theorized that the American South had a higher rate of violence because of various cultural and structural factors that make that area of country unique. So, the purpose of this paper is to examine geographical differences between prevalence rates of IPV across the major regions of the United States – the South, West, Midwest, and Northeast. Additionally, this paper will examine factors that may influence these differences utilizing the Southern Subculture of Violence Theory as the theoretical basis. This secondary data analysis will utilize data from the 2015 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The implications of this research are to test the assertions posited by Loftin and Hill to see if they still garner support and can be applied to IPV.

Author

• Alexis Hilling, West Virginia University