Comparing Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Public Health
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a significant public health issue with complex origins.
• Gender norms and attitudes are key drivers of IPVAW, influencing societal tolerance or rejection.
• Accurate measurement of attitudes toward IPVAW is crucial for research and intervention, yet explicit measures may be biased.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differences between implicit and explicit attitudes toward IPVAW in a Spanish population.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Gender Violence Implicit Association Test (GV-IAT).
• To compare the findings from implicit and explicit attitude measures across various demographic and attitudinal factors.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized an opportunity sample of 693 students.
• Employed two explicit measures: Inventory of Distorted Thoughts about Women and Violence (IPDMV) and Inventory of Beliefs about Intimate Partner Violence (IBIPV).
• Administered one implicit measure: the Gender Violence Implicit Association Test (GV-IAT), a personalized Implicit Association Test (IAT).

Main Results:

• The GV-IAT demonstrated acceptable psychometric characteristics.
• Implicit measures revealed significant differences in IPVAW attitudes based on gender, IPVAW knowledge, IPVAW involvement, and political opinion.
• Explicit measures showed significant differences only by gender and political opinion.
• A notable discrepancy was observed between strong IPVAW rejection levels measured by explicit and implicit methods.

Conclusions:

• The GV-IAT is a valuable tool for assessing implicit attitudes toward IPVAW.
• Implicit measures capture nuances in attitudes toward IPVAW that explicit measures may miss.
• Findings underscore the importance of using both implicit and explicit measures to comprehensively understand and address IPVAW attitudes.