Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Attitudinal Acceptance of and Experiences with Intimate Partner Violence among Rural Adults

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is little research on the associations between acceptance of and experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural samples, which may be different from associations in urban areas due to the higher prevalence of IPV in rural areas and the social and physical environment issues related to seeking help. The purpose of our study was to determine the proportion of participants who reported accepting male- and female-perpetrated IPV and the associations between experiences of IPV and acceptance of IPV. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of rural residents in one Midwest state. Approximately 4 % of participants reported it is ever acceptable for a male to hit his partner. Approximately 20 % of males and 12 % of females reported it is ever acceptable for a female to hit her partner. A higher proportion of individuals who were victims or perpetrators of IPV reported accepting retaliatory IPV (i.e., when partner hits first) perpetrated by individuals of their own gender. This finding suggests the previously reported high rates of bidirectional IPV in rural areas may be fueled by this acceptance of physical retaliation. Interventions to break this cycle of IPV may be guided by qualitative research into the specific ways the rural environment contributes to acceptance of retaliatory aggression.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, P. C., Morris, E., Tracy, A., & Frye, A. (2010). Stages of change and the group treatment of batterers: A randomized clinical trial. Violence and Victims, 25(5), 571–587.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Annan, S. L. (2008). Intimate partner violence in rural environments. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 26(1), 85–113.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, J. (2006). Cross-cultural differences in physical aggression between partners: A social-role analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(2), 133–153.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bethke, T. M., & DeJoy, D. M. (1993). An experimental study of factors influencing the acceptability of dating violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(1), 36–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosch, K., & Bergen, M. B. (2006). The influence of supportive and nonsupportive persons in helping rural women in abusive partner relationships become free from abuse. Journal of Family Violence, 21(5), 311–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boy, A., & Kulczycki, A. (2008). What we know about intimate partner violence in the Middle East and North Africa. Violence Against Women, 14(1), 53–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Basile, K. C., Walters, M. L., Chen, J., & Merrick, M. T. (2014). Prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence victimization—National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States, 2011. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 63(SS-8), 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, B. E., & Worden, A. P. (2005). Attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence: Results of a public opinion survey I. Definitions of domestic violence, criminal domestic violence, and prevalence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(10), 1197–1218.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dibble, U., & Straus, M. A. (1980). Some social structure determinants of inconsistency between attitudes and behavior: The case of family violence. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42(1), 71–80.

  • Eastman, B. J., & Bunch, S. G. (2007). Providing services to survivors of domestic violence a comparison of rural and urban service provider perceptions. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(4), 465–473.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eckhardt, C. I., & Crane, C. A. (2014). Male perpetrators of intimate partner violence and implicit attitudes toward violence: Associations with treatment outcomes. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 38(3), 291–301.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Eckhardt, C. I., Samper, R., Suhr, L., & Holtzworth-Munroe, A. (2012). Implicit attitudes toward violence among male perpetrators of intimate partner violence a preliminary investigation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(3), 471–491.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, K. M. (2014). Intimate parnter violence and the rural-urban-suburban divide myth or reality? A critical review of the literature. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 16(3), 359–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, K. M., & Sylaska, K. M. (2013). The perpetration of intimate partner violence among LGBTQ college youth: The role of minority stress. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 1721–1731.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faramarzi, M., Esmailzadeh, S., & Mosavi, S. (2005). A comparison of abused and non-abused women's definitions of domestic violence and attitudes to acceptance of male dominance. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, 122(2), 225–231.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, F. D., Cui, M., Braithwaite, S., & Pasley, K. (2008). Attitudes towards intimate partner violence in dating relationships. Psychological Assessment, 20(3), 260–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, H. M., & Foshee, V. (1997). Adolescent dating violence differences between one-sided and mutually violent profiles. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(1), 126–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenblat, C. S. (1985). “Don’t hit your wife... unless...”: Preliminary findings on normative support for the use of physical force by husbands. Victimology, 10(1–4), 221–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrero, J., Rodríguez, F. J., & Torres, A. (2016). Acceptability of partner violence in 51 societies: The role of sexism and attitudes toward violence in social relationships. Violence Against Women. doi:10.1177/1077801216642870.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, L. E., Daire, A. P., Abel, E. M., & Lambie, G. (2015). Gender expression differences in same-sex intimate partner violence victimization, perpetration, and attitudes among LGBTQ college students. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 9, 199–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinsfogel, K. M., & Grych, J. H. (2004). Interparental conflict and adolescent dating relationships: Integrating cognitive, emotional, and peer influences. Journal of Family Psychology, 18(3), 505–515.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawoko, S. (2006). Factors associated with attitudes toward intimate partner violence: a study of women in Zambia. Violence and Victims, 21(5), 645–656.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, L. M., & Richman, C. L. (1999). Attitudes toward domestic violence: Race and gender issues. Sex Roles, 40(3–4), 227–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., Shannon, L., & Walker, R. (2005). Protective orders in rural and urban areas a multiple perspective study. Violence Against Women, 11(7), 876–911.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Markowitz, F. E. (2001). Attitudes and family violence: Linking intergenerational and cultural theories. Journal of Family Violence, 16(2), 205–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDermott, R. C., & Lopez, F. G. (2013). College men's intimate partner violence attitudes: Contributions of adult attachment and gender role stress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(1), 127–136.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merchant, J. A., Stromquist, A. M., Kelly, K. M., Zwerling, C., Reynolds, S. J., & Burmeister, L. E. (2002). Chronic disease and injury in an agricultural county: The Keokuk County rural health cohort study. The Journal of Rural Health, 18(4), 521–535.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nabors, E. L., & Jasinski, J. L. (2009). Intimate partner violence perpetration among college students the role of gender role and gendered violence attitudes. Feminist Criminology, 4(1), 57–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peek-Asa, C., Wallis, A., Harland, K., Beyer, K., Dickey, P., & Saftlas, A. (2011). Rural disparity in domestic violence prevalence and access to resources. Journal of Women's Health, 20(11), 1743–1749.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Price, E. L., Byers, E. S., Belliveau, N., Bonner, R., Caron, B., Doiron, D., et al. (1999). The attitudes towards dating violence scales: Development and initial validation. Journal of Family Violence, 14(4), 351–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reitzel-Jaffe, D., & Wolfe, D. A. (2001). Predictors of relationship abuse among young men. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16(2), 99–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renner, L. M., Schwab Reese, L. M., Peek-Asa, C., & Ramirez, M. (2015). Reporting patterns of undirectional and bidirectional verbal aggression and physical violence among rural couples. Journal of Family Violence, 30(8), 1069–1078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, K., & Murachver, T. (2007). It takes two to tangle: Gender symmetry in intimate partner violence. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 29(2), 109–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandberg, L. (2013). Backward, dumb, and violent hillbillies? Rural geographies and intersectional studies on intimate partner violence. Affilia. doi:10.1177/0886109913504153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuler, S. R., & Islam, F. (2008). Women's acceptance of intimate partner violence within marriage in rural Bangladesh. Studies in Family Planning, 39(1), 49–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, T. R., Anderson, M., Thompson, M. P., Crosby, A. E., Shelley, G., & Sacks, J. J. (2001). Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence among US adults. Violence and Victims, 16(2), 115–126.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stith, S. M., Smith, D. B., Penn, C. E., Ward, D. B., & Tritt, D. (2004). Intimate partner physical abuse perpetration and victimization risk factors: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(1), 65–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The conflict tactics (CT) scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stromquist, A. M., Merchant, J. A., Zwerling, C., Burmeister, L. F., Sanderson, W. T., & Kelly, K. M. (2009). Challenges of conducting a large rural prospective population-based cohort study: The Keokuk County rural health study. Journal of Agromedicine, 14(2), 142–149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • United States Census Bureau. (2012). 2010 Census urban and rural classification and urban area criteria. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/geo/www/ua/2010urbanruralclass.html.

  • United States Census Bureau. (2016). Current estimates data. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/popest/data/.

  • Wang, L. (2016). Factors influencing attitude toward intimate partner violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2016.06.005.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitaker, D.J., Murphy, C.M., Eckhardt, C.I., Hodges, A.E., & Cowart, M. (2013) Effectiveness of primary prevention efforts for intimate partner violence. Partner Abuse, 4(2):175-195

  • Witte, T. H., & Mulla, M. M. (2013). Social norms for intimate partner violence. Violence and Victims, 28(6), 959–967.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This research was supported [in part] by Grants # U07/CCU706145 (Round 1) and #U50 OH07548 (Round 2 and Round 3) from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, The University of Iowa.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Public Health, Department of Community & Behavioral Health, The University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Laura M. Schwab-Reese

  2. College of Education and Human Development, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, 1404 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Lynette M. Renner

Authors
  1. Laura M. Schwab-Reese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lynette M. Renner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lynette M. Renner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Schwab-Reese, L.M., Renner, L.M. Attitudinal Acceptance of and Experiences with Intimate Partner Violence among Rural Adults. J Fam Viol 32, 115–123 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9895-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9895-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation