Intersections of Masculinity, Culturally Relevant Factors, and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Asian American Men

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) by men against women is a devastating social problem that is experienced by over a quarter of women in their lifetimes (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). IPV in Asian American communities is a prevalent problem that is likely influenced by both patriarchal gender role norms as well as culturally salience factors that are distinct to Asian Americans. Given the influence of norms and values on gendered power dynamics and racial power dynamics in the U.S., it is important to understand the intersections of gender and culture in Asian American men's masculine role norms and IPV perpetration. This dissertation therefore examines the influence of culture on Asian American men's conceptions of masculinity and the associations between gender and culture in their IPV perpetration. Three studies are presented from a program of research spanning five years on the intersections of culture, gender, and IPV perpetration for Asian American men. The first study (Chapter 2) examines Asian American men's perspectives on ideal masculine characteristics using qualitative methods. It finds that Asian American men report ideal masculinity traits that overlap with Asian cultural constructs such as collectivism as well as traditional masculinity themes associated that in the literature are associated with negative outcomes psychological and social outcomes including IPV perpetration. The second study (Chapter 3) reviews the literature on gendered and cultural predictors of American men's IPV perpetration. It finds that while patriarchal gender role norms consistently predict IPV perpetration, the role of Asian cultural factors on IPV is unclear. The third study (Chapter 4) examines the association between several culturally relevant risk and protective factors and Asian American men's IPV perpetration, including the unique and moderating effects of patriarchal gender role norm adherence. It finds that Asian American men's risk for IPV perpetration was not significantly predicted by levels of patriarchal gender role norms, culturally relevant predictors, or their interactions in a sample of Asian American community men from the NLAAS. Implications for operationalization of masculinity and culturally relevant constructs are discussed. Together, this program of research provides a comprehensive and multi-method understanding of the intersections of gender, cultural factors, and violence against women for Asian American men.