Comparing Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women

Abstract

Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is an epidemic social and public health problem. Research has consistently found evidence for a complex etiology of IPVAW resulting from the interaction of many factors, among which gender-related norms and attitudes are among the main drivers of this violence. Public attitudes toward IPVAW are especially important because attitudes rejecting, condoning, or fostering such behavior are social factors that contribute to a climate of tolerance or refusal that can shape the social environment in which such violence takes place. Given the importance of these attitudes, the availability of reliable, valid, and concise measures is critical for both research and intervention purposes. The evidence shows a probable bias of direct or explicit assessment measures of IPVAW attitudes, and it has been suggested that they should be complemented by indirect or implicit measures. In this context, the main aim of this paper was to examine how implicit and explicit attitudes toward IPVAW differ among a Spanish population. An opportunity sample of 693 students took part in this study. Two direct or explicit measures (the Inventory of Distorted Thoughts about Women and Violence, IPDMV, and the Inventory of Beliefs about Intimate Partner Violence, IBIPV) and one indirect or implicit measure [the Gender Violence Implicit Association Test (GV-IAT), a personalized form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT)] were applied. The results obtained show that the psychometric characteristics of the implicit measure used (GV-IAT) are acceptable. Additionally, we obtained significant differences by gender, IPVAW knowledge, IPVAW involvement, and political opinion when we measured IPVAW attitudes by implicit measures. However, when we measured these attitudes by explicit measures, we only obtained significant differences by gender and political opinion. Finally, the results highlight the important differences between the levels of strong IPVAW rejection measured with explicit and implicit measures, confirming the traditional discrepancy between explicit and implicit measures of attitudes. In summary, the results obtained provide additional support for the idea that GV-IAT constitutes a promising assessment tool to complement explicit measures for attitudes toward IPVAW.

Gender roles and intimate partner violence among female university students in Spain: A cross-sectional study

“…In our study, we observed a high percentage of female students with passive, submissive and blind attitudes, which seems to confirm the fact that, even today, traditional GRs and patriarchy still prevail [ 3 , 6 , 9 , 16 , 20 , 34 ]. Furthermore, one out of every three female students perceive their male partner as being domineering, suggesting that the historically established male role is perpetuated [ 5 , 16 , 44 ].…”

“…Over the last decade in Spain, previous research on GRs and stereotyping has identified several changes in how certain traits are viewed as typically masculine or feminine, which may be related to the dynamic character of the masculinity–femininity construct itself and the changing social roles of men and women [ 34 ]. Thus, young people have considered themselves as being more undifferentiated, both in their self-perception and in their social networks [ 35 ], as opposed to other age groups [ 36 ].…”

Street Sexual Harassment: Experiences and Attitudes among Young Spanish People

“…Finally, a comparison based on other sociodemographic variables demonstrated that participants with a more left-leaning political ideology displayed a significantly greater level of rejection towards “piropos” (while those with a more right-leaning political ideology displayed the highest levels of acceptance of the subgroups analyzed). It is worth noting that previous studies highlighted effects of political affiliation on attitudes towards sexual conduct [ 61 ] and towards other forms of VAW [ 58 ], similar to the results obtained in this case and related to a more traditional understanding of the social roles of women and men and the gender mandates among individuals with more right-leaning political tendencies.…”

“…Regarding attitudes towards “piropos”, the results obtained indicate that, in general, the participants in this study demonstrated negative attitudes or rejection, which was particularly strong among women, towards these types of remarks. In fact, as expected, and as in the case of other forms of VAW [ 49 , 50 , 58 , 59 , 60 ], gender accounted for statistically significant differences, with women displaying much more negative attitudes towards “piropos”, interpreting them as a form of VAW. A general rejection of this form of VAW was observed by age, similar to what has been described in the literature for other forms of this violence among persons of a similar age [ 60 ], but no significant differences were observed regarding attitudes towards “piropos” between the two age groups compared.…”

Psychosocial Implications of Supportive Attitudes towards Intimate Partner Violence against Women throughout the Lifecycle

“…The Gender Violence Implicit Association Test (GV-IAT [ 64 , 65 , 66 ]) is a form of personalized IAT used as an implicit measure of attitudes towards IPVAW with two target categories—Gender Violence vs. Non-Gender Violence—and two attribute categories—Good vs. Bad. Related to the target category, it is important to note that, under Spanish law [ 67 ], IPVAW is known as gender violence (see [ 25 ]), which is why GV-IAT uses the term “Gender Violence” to refer to IPVAW.…”