Traditional Latino patriarchal values such as marianisma, which emphasizes the value of women being subservient to their partners, and machismo, which supports a spouse’s right to control his partner, contribute to an acceptance of males dominating their female partners. Those who maintain these traditional cultural values may find it difficult to identify situation of intimate partner violence (IPV). . However, those who are more educated and of a younger generation may develop a different definition for what constitutes a healthy functional relationship.
In the present study, 114 participants (55 Latino, 59 non-Latino, mean age =32) completed and online survey assessing the extent to which culture, age, and education play a role in their attitudes toward IPV. An independent t-test revealed that Latino participants rated the various scenarios of IPV as less acceptable that non-Latino participants. Multiple regression analysis indicated that culture, age, and education were significant predictors of attitudes toward IPV. More specifically, being Latino and younger predicted more negative attitudes toward IPV, while higher education was related to rating the IPV scenarios as more acceptable or justifiable. Findings suggest that younger Latinos are less accepting of the traditional patriarchal relationships; however, those are more educated may be more likely to identify, disclose and justify their encounters with IPV. Implications of these findings and suggestions for prevention and intervention will be discussed.
