Differences in predictors of intimate partner violence for white and Latino students

Intimate partner violence is a widespread public health issue that affects individuals in all social classes, ethnicities, and regions. However, despite much research surrounding risk factors and consequences of intimate partner violence there remains a lack of notably effective prevention and intervention programs for individuals experiencing this trauma. The literature has clearly shown that there are several risk factors that contribute to an individual’s likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence; however, the relationships between these factors and intimate partner violence remain complex and unclear. There are several individual and contextual factors to consider when studying predictors of intimate partner violence. Some of the most notably studied risk factors of intimate partner violence include: lower socioeconomic status, lower educational attainment, belonging to an ethnic minority group, substance use, attachment insecurity, and more. The current study attempted to gain clearer insight into how demographic characteristics, such as ethnicity, interact with contextual risk factors to heighten an individual’s risk of experiencing intimate partner violence. Comparisons were made between white and latino participants on how predictive known risk factors were of experiencing intimate partner violence. The primary focus was on attempting to find if these known risk factors held differential levels of predictive value between white and latino individuals. Results suggest that white and latino individuals do diverge on which predictive factors most influence the likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence. However, more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the complex relationships between culture, individual identity, relational values, and these various risk factors of intimate partner violence.