Associations between small-area sociodemographic characteristics and intimate partner violence in Montréal, Québec

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects many individuals and can have a significant impact on their health and well-being. In order to inform prevention strategies, several studies have focused on the determinants of IPV. However, knowledge on the association between neighbourhood characteristics and IPV remains scarce. The social disorganization theory posits that certain neighbourhood characteristics are associated with violent behaviours. This theory has been used to explain spatial variations in IPV, but most studies have been conducted in the United States. Little is known about the effect of neighbourhood factors in urban contexts outside of the United States.

Using police data from 2016 and 2017, this study estimated the association between sociodemographic characteristics of neighbourhoods (socioeconomic status, single-parenthood, residential instability and ethnocultural heterogeneity) and IPV victimization in Montréal, Québec.

Results suggest a neighbourhood-level variation in IPV, and that neighbourhood-level characteristics are associated with IPV victimization. Specifically, the likelihood of IPV is higher in neighbourhoods with the lowest SES level (OR = 2.80, 95%CI: 2.47-3.17, p < 0.001) and the lowest level of residential instability (OR = 0.81, 95%CI: 0.70-0.93, p = 0.003) as well as the highest proportion of single-parent households (OR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.65-2.15, p < 0.001).

Although neighbourhood-level interventions to reduce IPV are rare, our results highlight the importance of developing such preventive strategies. Prevention programs targeting high-risk neighbourhoods may prove effective in reducing IPV.