Icelanders’ attitudes towards victims and perpetrators of intimate partner violence : the role of gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and type of abuse
Research has not adequately addressed how attitudes towards intimate partner violence (IPV) vary based on characteristics of perpetrators, victims, and the public. The current experiment employed 16 forms of IPV scenarios differing in the victim’s and perpetrator’s gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and type of abuse. Participants were 353 in total, aged 19-82, and spoke fluent Icelandic. Participants read one scenario and completed questionnaires about the abuse’s severity, background questions, questions about attitudes towards immigrants, perpetrators of IPV, and homosexuality, social desirability, and personal experience with IPV and other IPV victims and perpetrators. Physical abuse was considered more severe than psychological abuse, abuse was considered more severe if perpetrators and victims were male, there was no difference in severity based on national origin nor sexual orientation of perpetrators and victims. Most participants thought the perpetrator should receive psychological treatment. Additionally, women rated scenarios more seriously and, alongside participants with personal experience of IPV, as more likely to recur. Correlations were found between social desirability and severity rating, and certain questions about attitudes towards perpetrators. These results demonstrate the effect of IPV characteristics on individuals’ attitudes, however, equal treatment of victims and perpetrators must be ensured regardless of the aforementioned characteristics. Keywords: intimate partner violence, attitude, victims, perpetrators, gender, sexuality, national origin, type of abuse
Sálfræði, Ofbeldi, Sambúð, Þolendur, Afbrotamenn, Kynferði, Kynhneigð, Psychology, Offenses against the person, Gender, Sexuality
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