Understanding Intimate Partner Violence Using a Geographic Information System: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Background and Purpose

There has been a growing interest in understanding the relationship between neighbourhood environments and intimate partner violence (IPV). Geographic Information Systems (GIS), defined as a computer technology that is used to capture, integrate and analyse different layers and types of spatial information, have been widely used in social science and public health research to examine the spatial process of human behaviours for the past decades. However, the use of GIS technology in social work research remains underdeveloped. Through a scoping view, this presentation aims to examine the current state of the literature on the applications of GIS in IPV research, based on which research gaps and future directions were identified. Specifically, the research question that guided this review was: How has GIS been used in exploring the association of environments and IPV?

Methods

Guided by the scoping review framework of Arksey and O’Mall (2005), we searched for studies featured in peer-reviewed journals between 1995 and 2018, using predefined keywords in the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstract, Social Service Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, ASSIA, and Canadian Research Index. Specifically, we used the following inclusion criteria: (1) the article is an empirical study; (2) the article is written in English; (3) GIS techniques were used to assist the research process; and (4) IPV is the main study focus. Out of an original 892 articles, 83 empirical studies were selected for an in-depth review.

Findings

The majority of the studies focused on assessing environmental risk factors for IPV using multiple regression and multilevel analysis. The scoping review identified that geocoding, a process of converting an address into a point on a map and preparing data for advanced statistical analysis, is the most used GIS method in exploring the relationship between environmental factors and IPV. Many of the studies are cross-sectional design; there is limited evidence for the combination of temporal data into spatial data analysis.

Several ecological studies explored the spatial autocorrelation and clusters of IPV incident and used spatial regression models to identify the association of neighborhood socioeconomic factors and IPV incident rates. Few studies have examined the accessibility of IPV services and the geodemographic factors that affect the use of services. In the current review, there are only two studies using spatio-temporal analysis in exploring the relationships between environmental factors and domestic violence using longitudinal datasets. In addition, theoretical frameworks adopted by most of the studies are social disorganisation, social learning, and social contagion theories.

Conclusion and Implications

Recommendations for future research include: (1) combining other critical theoretical frameworks such as critical feminist theories, and GIS techniques in exploring IPV issues such as the empowerment of women in violence; (2) extending research subjects to violence against male partners and IPV among sex minority couples; (3) further incorporating qualitative GIS approaches; and (4) examining the potential protective environmental factors of IPV through longitudinal data analyses.