6533b82bfe1ef96bd128d73b
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in Sweden and Spain: A psychometric study of the 'Nordic paradox'.
Juan MerloManuel Martín-fernándezAnna-karin IvertAnna-karin IvertMarisol LilaEnrique Graciasubject
MaleEuropean PeopleSpanish PeoplePhysiologyEpidemiologyEmotionsIntimate Partner ViolenceSocial Sciences050109 social psychologyCriminologySurveysGeographical locations0302 clinical medicineSociologyRisk FactorsReproductive PhysiologySurveys and QuestionnairesCopulationPrevalenceMedicine and Health SciencesEthnicitiesPublic and Occupational Health030212 general & internal medicineYoung adultHispanic Peoplemedia_commonMultidisciplinary05 social sciencesComparabilityTraumatic Injury Risk FactorsQRMiddle AgedConfirmatory factor analysisEuropeResearch DesignMedicineFemaleCrimePsychologyResearch ArticleAdultCross-Cultural ComparisonAdolescentPsychometricsScienceSample (statistics)Research and Analysis MethodsSexual and Gender Issues03 medical and health sciencesYoung AdultBiasmedia_common.cataloged_instanceHumans0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesEuropean UnionEuropean unionViolent CrimeAgedProbabilitySwedenSurvey ResearchBiology and Life SciencesSamhällsvetenskapDifferential item functioningCross-cultural studiesSpainMedical Risk FactorsDomestic violencePopulation GroupingsPeople and placesDemographydescription
The high prevalence of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in countries with high levels of gender equality has been defined as the "Nordic paradox". In this study we compared physical and sexual IPVAW prevalence data in two countries exemplifying the Nordic paradox: Sweden (N = 1483) and Spain (N = 1447). Data was drawn from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Survey on violence against women. To ascertain whether differences between these two countries reflect true differences in IPVAW prevalence, and to rule out the possibility of measurement bias, we conducted a set of analyses to ensure measurement equivalence, a precondition for appropriate and valid cross-cultural comparisons. Results showed that in both countries items were measuring two separate constructs, physical and sexual IPVAW, and that these factors had high internal consistency and adequate validity. Measurement equivalence analyses (i.e., differential item functioning, and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis) supported the comparability of data across countries. Latent means comparisons between the Spanish and the Swedish samples showed that scores on both the physical and sexual IPVAW factors were significantly higher in Sweden than in Spain. The effect sizes of these differences were large: 89.1% of the Swedish sample had higher values in the physical IPVAW factor than the Spanish average, and this percentage was 99.4% for the sexual IPVAW factor as compared to the Spanish average. In terms of probability of superiority, there was an 80.7% and 96.1% probability that a Swedish woman would score higher than a Spanish woman in the physical and the sexual IPVAW factors, respectively. Our results showed that the higher prevalence of physical and sexual IPVAW in Sweden than in Spain reflects actual differences and are not the result of measurement bias, supporting the idea of the Nordic paradox.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-01 | PLoS ONE |