Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence and Intention to Intervene in Domestic Violence Situations Among Asian Americans

Background and Purpose: Domestic violence is a widely recognized social problem that greatly threatens the well-being of individuals; however, domestic violence in Asian American communities remains under-studied. In particular, there is a dearth of studies investigating community members’ intention to intervene when domestic violence occurs. The support and intervention of community members are critical components of survivors’ resilience and resources, but tolerant attitudes towards domestic violence may impede such intentions, especially in cultures with deep-rooted patriarchal beliefs, such as those prevalent in Asian societies. The present study examines the association between attitudes toward domestic violence and individuals’ intention to intervene in Asian communities. The theory of planned behavior posits that attitude is a significant predictor of intentions, which is a strong predictor of actual behaviors. Therefore, we hypothesize that individuals with more negative attitudes toward domestic violence would exhibit a stronger intention to intervene.

Methods: Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 404 participants who self-identified as Asian in two large metropolitan areas in the U.S. Participants completed either an in-person or online survey and answered questions about domestic violence. The dependent variable was the intention to intervene, measured by 7 items asking about how likely the individuals would take the measured behaviors when domestic violence occurs on a 5-point Likert scale (e.g., “Confront friend, family if physically abusive to partner”; α = 0.93). The independent variable, attitudes toward domestic violence, was measured by 4 items about individuals’ acceptance of domestic violence (e.g., “Hitting partner is sometimes justified”; α = 0.76). Linear regression was conducted, and control variables included participants’ age, gender, nativity, marital status, ethnicity, level of education, and religious affiliation.

Results: After excluding cases with incomplete information, 398 cases were included in the analyses. The mean age of the sample was 49.3 years old. The majority of participants identified as female (72.1%) and were not born in the U.S. (94.2%). Close to two-thirds (67.09%) were married, and about one-fifth (19.10%) were single. Over half of the sample (57.29%) were Korean ethnicity. About 36% of the participants earned an undergraduate degree, followed by some undergrad education (21.86%), graduate degree (19.10%), high school degree or less (17.09%), and some graduate education (6.28%). Nearly 43% reported having a religious affiliation. Results from the regression analysis showed that a negative attitude toward domestic violence was associated with a stronger intention to intervene (b = 0.19, p < .05), even after accounting for all control variables.

Conclusions and Implications: Overall, the results are consistent with the theory of planned behavior. Individuals with attitudes that do not support domestic violence were more likely to intervene in domestic violence situations. This finding highlights the significance of community-level interventions that target Asian American community members’ attitudes towards domestic violence, which could serve as a crucial strategy to promote community-based support and help for survivors.