title: An examination of domestic partner violence and its justification in the Republic of Georgia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little research on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and social perceptions toward this behavior has been disseminated from Eastern Europe. This study explores the prevalence and risk factors of IPV and the justification of this behavior among women in the Republic of Georgia. It seeks to better understand how IPV and IPV justification relate and how social justification of IPV differs across socio-economic measures among this population of women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study utilizes a national sample of ever-married women from the Republic of Georgia (N = 4,302). We describe the factors that predict IPV justification among these women and the relationship between of the acceptability of IPV and victimization overall and across socio-demographic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the overall lifetime prevalence of IPV in this sample was relatively low (4%), these women were two to four times more likely to justify IPV, Just under one-quarter of the sample agreed that IPV was justified in at least one scenario, namely when the wife was unfaithful, compared with women who had no experience being abused by a partner. Georgian women who were poor, from a rural community, had lower education, were not working and who experienced child abuse or IPV among their parents were more likely to justify this behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings begin to fill a gap in our understanding of IPV experienced by women in Eastern Europe. In addition, these findings emphasize the need for researchers, practitioners and policy makers to contextualize IPV in terms of the justification of this behavior among the population being considered as this can play an important role in perpetration, victimization and response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA. walterme@newpaltz.edu.
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Waltermaurer
authors.forename: Maia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Butsashvili
authors.forename: Nata
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Avaliani
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samuels
authors.forename: Louise-Anne
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McNutt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001290:Attitude; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005846:Georgia (Republic) / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult