Men's Childhood Exposure to Parental Violence and their Indulgence in IPV: An Empirical Analysis of Wife-Beating Justification as a Moderator Variable

Men's childhood exposure to inter-parental violence is linked with their indulgence, as partners and husbands, in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). However, there is evidence that this linkage is variably moderated by different factors, including men's attitude toward IPV. This study is based on Domestic Violence Module (DVM) data from National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted during 2019-2021. NFHS-5 used a uniform sample design representative at country and state levels, wherein one woman was interviewed face-to-face for DVM from each sampled household across India (N = 47,918). We aim to test the conditional effects of men's justifying IPV attitudes on the association of their childhood exposure to parental violence and indulgence in IPV. This was achieved by including an interaction term in the regression model. Findings suggest that men's "justifying attitude toward wife beating" independently associates with their indulgence in IPV and not in combination with "childhood exposure to inter-parental violence". It suggests that the linkage between men's childhood exposure to parental violence and indulgence in IPV is modifiable by positive changes in the men's attitude. We suggest a heightened policy emphasis on transforming men's attitudes through education, awareness-raising initiatives, and sensitization programs to address the issue of IPV in India.