Honor Concerns, Ambivalent Sexism and IPV Victimization in Italian and Turkish Samples: Country and Gender Differences

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant global public health issue. Its prevalence and social acceptance exhibit substantial variation across cultural contexts. Cultural belief systems, such as honor culture and ambivalent sexism, have been identified as significant factors shaping gender roles and attitudes toward violence in intimate relationships. However, the intersection of honor culture, ambivalent sexism, and IPV victimization remains underexplored in cross-cultural research. The current study examines country and gender differences in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) victimization, honor culture, and ambivalent sexism through a cross-cultural comparison of Italian and Turkish university students. A battery of self-report measures was administered to 1249 Italian and Turkish university students aged 18-25 (55.7% female, 44.3% male). A 2 × 2 MANOVA was conducted to assess the effects of gender and country on IPV victimization, honor concerns, and ambivalent sexism. Results showed no significant main effect of gender on IPV victimization. However, a significant main effect of culture emerged: univariate analyzes revealed that Turkish students reported higher levels of IPV victimization compared to their Italian peers (p < 0.001). Significant gender and country differences were also found in honor concerns, with a gender × culture interaction indicating that patterns of honor endorsement varied across countries. Moreover, Turkish males and females reported higher levels of both benevolent and hostile sexism compared to their Italian counterparts. These findings underscore the relevance of both gender and cultural context on experiences and attitudes related to IPV, honor, and sexism. The results support and extend previous research, highlighting the importance of incorporating cultural variables when addressing intimate partner violence. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.