Men's Perpetration of Partner Violence in Bangladesh: Community Gender Norms and Violence in Childhood

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kathryn Yount, Emory University; Laurie James-Hawkins, Emory University; Yuk Fai Cheong, Emory University; Ruchira T. Naved, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-01-01
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 American Psychological Association.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/men0000069
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Psychology of Men and Masculinity
• ISSN: 1524-9220
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 117
• End Page: 130
• Grant/Funding Information: The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA GR-00799) supported the original data collection.; A research grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute for Child Health and Development (1 R03 HD081438-01A1 PI Kathryn Yount) supported this work.
• Keywords: NATIONAL SAMPLE; child maltreatment; SEXUAL-ABUSE; Bangladesh; MARRIED-WOMEN; Psychology, Social; SPOUSAL VIOLENCE; PREVALENCE; MEASURING ATTITUDES; gender norms; DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; men's perpetration; Social Sciences; INTIMATE; SOCIAL-LEARNING THEORY; multilevel analysis; YOUNG MEN; Psychology
• Research Categories: Gender Studies; Anthropology, Cultural; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Men's perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) is common, but its multilevel determinants are understudied. We leveraged novel data from a probability sample of married junior men (N = 570; age 18 to 34 years) from 50 urban and 62 rural communities who took part in the Bangladesh survey of the 2011 UN Multi-Country Study of Men and Violence. We tested whether lifetime count (or scope) of physical IPV acts perpetrated was negatively associated with more equitable community gender norms among married senior men (N = 938; age 35 to 49 years) and positively associated with greater exposure to childhood violence among junior men. We also tested whether more equitable community gender norms mitigated the association of more violence in childhood with the lifetime scope of physical IPV acts perpetrated. Among younger married men, 50% reportedly ever perpetrated physical IPV, the mean lifetime scope of physical IPV types perpetrated was 1.1 (SD 1.3) out of 5 listed. A majority (64%) reported childhood exposure to violence. In multilevel Poisson models, a man with more childhood exposure to violence had a higher log scope (estimate: 0.31, SE 0.04, p < .001), and a man living amid the most equitable gender norms had a lower log scope (estimate:-0.61, SE 0.17, p < .01) of physical IPV acts perpetrated; however, no significant cross-level interaction was observed. Interventions that address the trauma of childhood violence and that promote more equitable community gender norms may be needed to mitigate IPV perpetration by younger men.