Risk and Protective Factors for Physical and Emotional Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in a Community of Lima, Peru

This article shows risk and protective factors for both physical and emotional intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. The study was carried out in a shanty town of Lima, Peru, which has a strong community organization. One hundred ninety-two women between 25 and 59 years old (M = 34.09, SD = 6.5) were interviewed; 44.3% had secondary education, 75.5% were housewives, and 94% lived with their partner. The measurement instrument was a survey especially developed for this project to explore occurrence of physical and emotional IPV and to identify factors associated with them; factors were classified in individual and relational levels according to the ecological nested model (ENM). A logistic regression analysis was used to test the associations; the results showed that for emotional IPV, men’s assertiveness was a protective factor, whereas their emotional instability and jealousy were risk factors. For physical IPV, there were no identified risks or protective factors. These results are presented and discussed.