title: Linkages between gender equity and intimate partner violence among urban Brazilian youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gender inequity is a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV), although there is little research on this relationship that focuses on youth or males. Using survey data collected from 240 male and 198 female youth aged 15-24 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we explore the association between individual-level support for gender equity and IPV experiences in the past 6 months and describe responses to and motivations for IPV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Factor analysis was used to construct gender equity scales for males and females. Logistic and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between gender equity and IPV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About half of female youth reported some form of recent IPV, including any victimization (32%), any perpetration (40%), and both victimization and perpetration (22%). A total of 18% of male youth reported recently perpetrating IPV. In logistic regression models, support for gender equity had a protective effect against any female IPV victimization and any male IPV perpetration and was not associated with female IPV perpetration. Female victims reported leaving the abusive partner, but later returning to him as the most frequent response to IPV. Male perpetrators said the most common response of their victims was to retaliate with violence. Jealousy was the most frequently reported motivation of females perpetrating IPV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender equity is an important predictor of IPV among youth. Examining the gendered context of IPV will be useful in the development of targeted interventions to promote gender equity and healthy relationships and to help reduce IPV among youth.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California 94103, USA. anugomez@sfsu.edu
authors.forename: Anu Manchikanti
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Ilene S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Speizer
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Moracco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001938:Brazil; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult