A meta-analysis of cross cultural risk markers for intimate partner violence
Section snippets
Theoretical review
Hofstede's Dimensional Model of Culture has been used to understand variation in cultural values across different countries (Hofstede, 2011). This model emerged from Hofstede's values survey completed by IBM employees from 50 countries in the 1970's. Initial correlational analyses revealed that there were significant stable differences between mean survey item scores at the country level. Hofstede replicated these findings with 400 non-IBM management trainees from 30 countries which showed a
Search strategies
Selection and identification of appropriate studies occurred in multiple phases. We first reviewed 509 studies from 1980 to 2000, which were considered in a previous meta-analysis of IPV risk markers (Author). These studies were obtained from computer database searches (ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, Medline, PsychLit, Social Sciences Abstracts, and Social Sciences Citations Index). The key words from the previous meta-analysis were adapted and used in this present study (see Stith, Smith, Penn,
Included samples
Using the selection criteria outlined above, we included 49 studies from collectivist samples, 31 from individualist samples outside the U.S., and 210 from the U.S., for a total of 291 studies representing a combined sample size of 225,822 and yielding 779 independent effect sizes (k). Of these effect sizes, 107 were from collectivist countries, 92 from international individualist countries, and 580 from the U.S. A list of international individualist and collectivist countries and the number of
Discussion
Although a great deal of research on IPV has been conducted within the U.S. and North America, there is a need for more research on risk markers for IPV worldwide. The primary goal of the present study was to contribute to the literature by using a meta-analytic approach to examine risk markers of IPV in different cultural contexts to identify possible similarities and differences. Based on Hofstede's Dimensional Model of Culture (Hofstede, 2011), which categorizes countries as ‘individualist’
Limitations
“Societal cultures reside in (often unconscious) values, in the sense of broad tendencies to prefer certain states of affairs over others” (Hofstede, 2001, p.55). Because individual differences (i.e. preferences and personalities) exist within a family, family differences (i.e. dynamics and expectations) within cultures, cultural differences (i.e. values and ideals) within regions or cities, and regional differences (i.e. resources and infrastructure) within countries, any “categorical
Future research directions
The studies included in the meta-analysis were limited to male perpetration. There are few studies on female perpetration, female victimization, and male victimization outside of the U.S. and North America. When looking at IPV through a cultural lens, studying both male and female IPV would help to better understand how IPV might be different in other cultures. Thus, more studies are needed in these areas. Furthermore, we were unable to include many potential risk markers in our analyses
Conclusion
Overall, our findings suggest that risk markers for IPV vary across cultural groups, with unexpectedly greater similarities in effects between the U.S. and collectivist countries than between the U.S. and individualist countries. This information provides a number of insights, the most prominent being that understanding IPV in a cultural context is necessary when determining markers associated with risk for perpetration and defining appropriate foci for intervention in a particular culture.
Acknowledgments
This research is based on work supported by the US Air Force Division of Behavioral Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Award Number: 2015-39575-24367; PI: Sandra Stith).
References (41)
The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results
Psychological Bulletin
(1979)- et al.
Intimate partner physical abuse perpetration and victimization risk factors: A meta-analytic review
Journal of Aggression and Violent Behavior
(2004) - et al.
Comprehensive meta-analysis (version 2) [computer software]
(2005) - et al.
Where (who) are collectives in collectivism? Toward conceptual clarification of individualism and collectivism
Psychological Review
(2007) - et al.
Spouses' perceptions of aggression and associations with relationship satisfaction
Partner Abuse
(2011) - et al.
Substance use and intimate partner violence: A meta-analytic review
Psychology of Violence
(2016) - et al.
A systematic review of risk factors for intimate partner violence
Partner Abuse
(2012) Applied meta-analysis for social science research
(2012)Correlates of wife assault in Hong Kong Chinese families
Violence and Victims
(2004)- et al.
Income inequality and child mortality in wealthy nations
Journal of Public Health
(2007)