Sociocultural Correlates of Sexual and Physical Intimate Partner Violence Across 98 Countries: A Hierarchical Assessment Based on Economic Development

Objective: Worldwide, almost one in three women experience sexual or physical intimate partner violence (IPV), which can result in significant negative health effects. These prevalence rates are unevenly distributed across the globe-indicating the potential role of sociocultural factors. Previous research has assessed (a) associations between IPV constructs like attitudes or laws within countries and (b) the effect of economic development on IPV across countries. We sought to extend these findings by assessing the potential higher order effects of economic development on the associations between IPV and its sociocultural correlates. Method: We used secondary country-level statistics compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to assess the sociocultural correlates of IPV in a sample of 98 countries. We tested hierarchical associations using multilevel models. Results: Countries with higher incomes had lower prevalence rates of IPV, better attitudinal norms toward IPV, and better laws regarding violence against women. A country's attitudinal norms toward IPV-but not its laws-significantly predicted its prevalence of IPV. However, the association between attitudinal norms and prevalence could primarily be accounted for by the country's economic development classification. Conclusions: We corroborated previous research regarding the worldwide prevalence of IPV and showed how some sociocultural correlates of IPV are more nuanced when considering higher order factors. We recommend that researchers interested in examining sexual violence with an international perspective use hierarchical statistical techniques to account for potential grouping effects and that they measure IPV in a way that distinguishes women's experiences of sexual versus physical IPV.