Attitudes Towards, and Willingness to Intervene in, Intimate Partner Violence Against Women Among University Students in Sweden: A Brief Report

Abstract Purpose The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate different aspects of attitudes to intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) among university students in Sweden, and whether those attitudes are related to students´ willingness to intervene in cases of IPVAW. Gender differences related to IPVAW attitudes and willingness to intervene were examined. Methods The study was based on data from an online survey regarding attitudes to IPVAW among 676 university students in Sweden. The survey consisted of four scales measuring different aspects of attitudes to IPVAW and one scale measuring hostile sexism. In addition to descriptive analyses and bivariate correlations, ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were applied to predict the association between attitudes to IPVAW and willingness to intervene. Results Generally, the students reported negative attitudes towards IPVAW, with women being more negative in relation to most of the attitude measures, compared to men. Willingness to intervene was categorised into three types of intervention: personal involvement, calling the police and non-intervention. Overall, victim-blaming attitudes and perceived severity of IPVAW were related to the willingness to all types of intervention. Stratifying the sample by gender showed that the associations between IPVAW attitudes and different types of intervention partly differed for men and women. Conclusions The exploratory study presented in this brief report indicates that addressing attitudes towards IPVAW can be an important part of public health strategies aiming to decrease IPVAW. The study highlights the need to further develop and adapt the attitude scales for use in a Swedish context.