Intimate Partner Violence Among Asian Interracial Relationship Using National Representative Sample: Comparison Study of Interracial and Same-Race Couples

Background/Purpose:The problem of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been examined across ethnic groups, but little is known about this issue among interracial couples. Despite the fact that Asian have the highest rate of marring outside of their race and ethnicity groups, scant empirical research that exists on IPV involving interracial couples has tended to bypass Asian in the United States. The current investigation of interracial relationships was intended to shed light on questions about the role of race/ethnicity in IPV. The purpose of this study was 1) to investigate the characteristics of Asian intermarried women associated with immigration and IPV-related factors and 2) to determine the IPV risk factors for this population in the U.S.

Methods: The current study analyzed existing data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, which had a cross-sectional design. Participants were recruited using two sampling methods: (1) core sampling based on multistage stratified area probability designs; and (2) high-density supplemental sampling in the NLAAS. A total of 504 Asian married/cohabiting women, aged 18 or more, who met the criteria were used for the analyses. Variables included age, education, household income, family support, friend support, immigration generation status, everyday discrimination, acculturation stress, gender role, ethnic identity, and interracial status. For the study analysis Stata/SE Version 12.0 was used and multiple logistic regressions were performed to determine whether there is a difference in the risk factors by Asian women’s interracial status, those who are in an interracial relationship and those who are in an intra-racial relationship, on IPV.

Results: The analysis revealed that Asian women in interracial relationships were younger, were more educated in high school and college level, were less likely to be in the workforce, had higher self-rated physical and mental health, had more family and friends support, more likely to be a later immigration generation, and more likely to be discriminated against than Asian women in same-race relationships. However, IPV rates were not significantly different between Asian women in same-race relationship and Asian women in interracial relationship for both minor and severe IPV. Another interesting findings were that IPV risk factors were completely different between Asian women in interracial relationships and intra-racial relationships. Everyday discrimination (p<.04) was the only predictor of IPV among Asian women in interracial relationships, while friends support (p<.026), generation (p<.047), acculturative stress (p<.001), and gender roles (couple both responsible for chores) (p<.004) were the predictors of IPV among Asian women in intra-racial relationship. 

Conclusion: The study revealed that Asian interracial couples have different patterns from other racial/ethnic pairings and have their own unique aspects with regard to IPV experiences. The present study result implies that previous studies may have oversimplified this comparison by not giving attention to the specific racial characteristics of couples. These findings suggested the importance of recognizing the differences that existed in complexity of the IPV (e.g., direction, severity, types of partner violence) and in different racial/ethnic pairing. Further research is needed to understand whether the significant trend in IPV exists for those specific conditions.