title: Media Portrayals of Female Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence.
abstract: Preventing intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health priority. An important component of designing prevention programs is developing an understanding of how media portrayals of health issues influence public opinion and policy. To better understand the ways in which media images may be informing our understanding of IPV, this study content analyzed portrayals of IPV in news media articles. Stratified media outlets were used to obtain a representative sample of daily newspapers based on their designated market areas. Researchers created constructed months using weeks from each season across a 2-year period. The first part of the study investigated quantitative differences in the coverage of female and male perpetrators (n = 395) and identified several areas where coverage differed. The second part of the study qualitatively examined coverage of female perpetrators (n = 61) to provide a richer description of such coverage. This study contributes to our understanding of female perpetrators and how these portrayals may contribute to the larger gender symmetry debate surrounding female aggressors. Implications for public health policy and research are discussed.
authors: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA kecarlyle@vcu.edu.
authors: Kellie E
authors: KE
authors: Carlyle
authors: Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA.
authors: Jennifer A
authors: JA
authors: Scarduzio
authors: The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
authors: Michael D
authors: MD
authors: Slater
keywords: domestic violence; domestic violence and cultural contexts; media and violence; perceptions of domestic violence; women offenders