RT Article
T1 Assessing Police Attitudes Toward Intervention in Gender Violence: the Role of Training, Perceived Severity, and Myths About Intimate Partner Violence Against Women
JF Journal of family violence
VO 40
IS 2
SP 299
OP 311
A1 Serrano-Montilla, Celia
A2 Garrido-Macías, Marta
A2 Sáez-Díaz, Javier
A2 Sáez, Gemma
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1916545432
AB PurposeEven though evidence has broadly confirmed that public attitudes toward intervention shape the decision-making process when dealing with IPVAW events, rather less is known about what determines the police decision-making process. Research support that police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW explain differences when police officers response to IPVAW events. This research analyzes the combined role of IPVAW myths, perceived severity, and IPVAW training in reactive (tolerance for IPVAW and minimal police involvement) and proactive (important police task and pro-arrest) police attitudes toward intervention in gender violence.MethodsDrawing from snowball sampling, we collected responses of 211 Spanish police officers via online subject-recruitment platform.ResultsThe main findings of our study confirmed that IPVAW myths lead to less proactive attitudes toward intervention both directly and through a reduction in the perceived severity of IPVAW. Importantly, we found a moderating role of IPVAW training, suggesting that the endorsement of IPVAW myths leads to less proactive responses, but only for untrained police officers.ConclusionsOur findings suggest the importance of IPVAW training on police proactive attitudes toward intervention via IPVAW myths instead of perceived severity. Police training programs to both novice and experienced officers should be focused on confronting IPVAW myths in order to improve police perception, evaluation and involvement in gender violence events.
K1 Attitudes toward intervention
K1 Police officers
K1 perceived severity
K1 IPVAW myths
K1 intimate partner violence against women
DO 10.1007/s10896-023-00605-8