Risk and Protective Factors for Perpetration

Risk factors are linked to a greater likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. They are contributing factors, but might not be direct causes. Not everyone who is identified as “at risk” becomes involved in violence.

A combination of individual, relational, community, and societal factors contribute to the risk of becoming a perpetrator of IPV. Understanding these multilevel factors can help identify various opportunities for prevention.

Watch Moving Forward to learn more about how increasing what protects people from violence and reducing what puts people at risk for it benefits everyone.

Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration

Individual Risk Factors

• Low self-esteem
• Low income
• Low academic achievement/low verbal IQ
• Young age
• Aggressive or delinquent behavior as a youth
• Heavy alcohol and drug use
• Depression and suicide attempts
• Anger and hostility
• Lack of nonviolent social problem-solving skills
• Antisocial personality traits and conduct problems
• Poor behavioral control/impulsiveness
• Traits associated with borderline personality disorder
• History of being physically abusive
• Having few friends and being isolated from other people
• Unemployment
• Emotional dependence and insecurity
• Belief in strict gender roles (e.g., male dominance and aggression in relationships)
• Desire for power and control in relationships
• Hostility towards women
• Attitudes accepting or justifying IPV
• Being a victim of physical or psychological abuse (consistently one of the strongest predictors of perpetration)
• Unplanned pregnancy

Relationship Factors

• Marital conflict–fights, tension, and other struggles
• Jealousy, possessiveness, and negative emotion within an intimate relationship
• Marital instability–divorces or separations
• Dominance and control of the relationship by one partner over the other
• Economic stress
• Unhealthy family relationships and interactions
• Association with antisocial and aggressive peers
• Parents with less than a high-school education
• Having few friends and being isolated from other people
• Witnessing IPV between parents as a child
• History of experiencing poor parenting as a child
• History of experiencing physical discipline as a child

Community Factors

• Poverty and associated factors (for example, overcrowding, high unemployment rates)
• Low social capital–lack of institutions, relationships, and norms that shape a community’s social interactions
• Poor neighborhood support and cohesion
• Weak community sanctions against IPV (for example, unwillingness of neighbors to intervene in situations where they witness violence)
• High density of places that sell alcohol

Societal Factors

• Traditional gender norms and gender inequality (for example, the idea women should stay at home, not enter the workforce, and be submissive; men should support the family and make the decisions)
• Cultural norms that support aggression toward others
• Societal income inequality
• Weak health, educational, economic, and social policies/laws

Protective Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration

Relationship Factors

• High friendship quality
• Social support (for example, tangible help, support from neighbors)

Community Factors

• Neighborhood collective efficacy (i.e., community cohesiveness/support/connected-ness, mutual trust, and willingness to intervene for the common good)
• Coordination of resources and services among community agencies

See Intimate Partner Violence Resources for more publications and resources about preventing intimate partner violence.