Male and female physical intimate partner violence and socioeconomic position: a cross-sectional international multicentre study in Europe

Objectives: This work explores the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and intimate partner violence (IPV) considering the perspectives of men and women as victims, perpetrators and as both (bidirectional).

Study Design: Cross-sectional international multicentre study.

Methods: A sample of 3496 men and women, (aged 18-64 years), randomly selected from the general population of residents from six European cities was assessed: Athens, Budapest, London, Östersund, Porto and Stuttgart. Their education (primary, secondary and university), occupation (upper white-collar, lower white-collar and blue collar) and unemployment duration (never, ≤12 months and >12 months) were considered as SEP indicators and physical IPV was measured with the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales.

Results: Past year physical IPV was declared by 17.7% of women (3.5% victims, 4.2% perpetrators and 10.0% bidirectional) and 19.8% of men (4.1% victims, 3.8% perpetrators and 11.9% bidirectional). Low educational level (primary vs. university) was associated with female victimization (adjusted Odds Ratio, 95% confidence interval: 3.2, 1.3-8.0) and with female bidirectional IPV (4.1, 2.4-7.1). Blue collar occupation (vs. upper white) was associated with female victimization (2.1, 1.1-4.0), female perpetration (3.0, 1.3-6.8) and female bidirectional IPV (4.0, 2.3-7.0). Unemployment duration was associated with male perpetration (> 12 months of unemployment vs. never unemployed: 3.8, 1.7-8.7) and with bidirectional IPV in both sex (women: 1.8, 1.2-2.7; men: 1.7, 1.0-2.8).

Conclusions: In these European centers, physical IPV was associated with a disadvantaged socioeconomic position. A consistent socioeconomic gradient was observed in female bidirectional involvement, but victims or perpetrators-only presented gender specificities according to levels of education, occupation differentiation and unemployment duration potentially useful for designing interventions.