Breaking the Silence: Willingness to Intervene in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is frequently regarded as a private issue, with witnesses often responding accordingly. As a result, a lot of violence remains unreported, either by the victim or observers. Statistical analyses were conducted on data from an online survey of 600 respondents aged 18-65 in Slovenia. This research aimed to examine the influence of demographic factors and attitudes toward IPV on willingness to intervene or report IPV to the police. A theoretical model of intervention in IPV cases was developed and tested using structural equation modeling. The role of attitudes towards IPV as mediators between demographic variables and willingness to intervene in cases of IPV was investigated by comparing the difference in model fit between models that presumed partial and full mediation. The results supported a full mediating role of attitudes towards IPV. A full mediation model fitted the data well (SB χ² = 765.8; df = 320; p < 0.001; SB χ²/df = 2.4; RMSEA = 0.048 (90% CI: 0.044-0.053); NFI = 0.93; NNFI = 0.95; CFI = 0.96; IFI = 0.96; SRMR = 0.08). With increasing age, and for men, the tolerance of psychological IPV increases. Men and those with lower education are more tolerant of physical IPV. Individuals with higher tolerance for physical or psychological IPV were less likely to intervene or contact the police, and more likely to remain passive. Perceptions of police effectiveness were not related to willingness to intervene. The findings emphasize the pivotal role of attitudes towards IPV, underscoring the importance of raising awareness of the phenomenon and encouraging individuals to "break the silence" by reporting it to the police.