Intimate Partner Violence, Acculturation, and Alcohol Consumption Among Hispanic Couples in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to report rates of intimate partner violence, acculturation, and alcohol consumption patterns among U.S. Hispanic couples. A probability sample of Hispanic couples in the U.S. household population (N = 527) was interviewed in 1995. Interviews averaging 1 hour in length were conducted in respondents' homes by trained interviewers. The response rate was 85%. The rates of male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence (MFPV and FMPV, respectively) were highest in the medium acculturation group, followed by the high acculturation group and the low acculturation group. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicate that couples with at least one medium acculturated couple member were 3 times more likely to experience MFPV than couples with two low acculturated partners. Intimate partner violence among medium acculturated individuals may be the result of the difficulties of negotiating between cultures without the support of a strong social network.