College Students’ Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence: A Closer Examination of Acceptability and Victim Blaming

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the two studies in this paper is to provide a better understanding of attitudes that college students have toward intimate partner violence (IPV) in order to inform future college prevention programs. Method: The first study examined the relationship between acceptability of IPV and level of abuse (experienced or perpetrated) and examined whether moment of exposure to IPV (perpetration or victimization) moderated this relationship. Using responses to vignettes, the second study examined whether victim blaming depended on type of abuse depicted and/or level of seriousness of the relationship depicted. Results: In the first study, there was a positive association between level of IPV (victimized or perpetrated) and acceptability of IPV. The moment of exposure to IPV moderated the predictive association between level of IPV and acceptability of IPV. For the second study, the hypothesis was not supported. Exploratory results are discussed in the results section. Discussion: Based on these findings, it is recommended that college prevention programs implement education about factors that influence attitudes toward IPV and, generally, education about the role of attitudes in IPV. The specific recommendations are detailed in the discussion and conclusion.