Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acculturation, ethnic/racial identity, perceived racism/discrimination, and gender role attitudes on bidirectional intimate partner violence (IPV) attitudes and behaviors among Black/African American men. The present study was based on the Multicultural Assessment-Intervention Process (MAIP) framework and guided by intersectionality theory. Based on a convenience sample of 388 Black/African American heterosexual men, five standard regression analyses were utilized. Results showed that all four multicultural variables significantly predicted bidirectional IPV attitudes and behaviors, with perceived racism/discrimination and gender role attitudes being the strongest predictors of IPV victimization and perpetration. Notably, the directionality of these predictor variables was distinct from other ethnic/racial groups, suggesting that multicultural characteristics manifest uniquely for heterosexual Black/African American men. Additionally, high rates of IPV victimization were reported by this sample: 25.5% reported physical abuse; 10.6% reported sexual abuse; 42.5% reported emotional abuse; 35.6% reported verbal abuse; 15.5% reported stalking perpetrated by an intimate partner. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.