The Relationship Between Family, Parent, and Child Characteristics and Intimate-Partner Violence (IPV) Among Ukrainian Mothers

Objective: To assess the prevalence of intimate-partner violence (IPV) in a sample of Ukrainian mothers of schoolchildren, and to examine the relationship between IPV and family, parent, and child characteristics using multilevel models. Method: Mothers of children ages 9-16 (N = 278, 93.5% Ukrainians) answered the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus, 1979; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996), an instrument that measures IPV. We also examined the relationship between IPV and maternal age, education, employment and marital status, family income, and rural or urban residence. Results: Most of the women (81%) reported psychological violence and 58% reported physical assault. On average, women reported 66 instances of IPV during the last year. Multilevel modeling revealed that lower maternal education, unemployment, not living with the husband or partner, and urban residency were associated with higher IPV victimization. Younger age and family income were not significantly related to IPV. Conclusion: We found IPV to be a significant social problem in the present sample of Ukrainian mothers of school-age children. Future policy and violence-prevention programming should focus on supporting academic and employment opportunities for women, particularly for those living in urban areas.