Predicting Police Endorsement of Myths Surrounding Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Police endorsement of IPV myths may adversely influence police responses where survivors feel stigmatized, invalidated, or blamed and thus, can limit victim participation and aggravate case attrition. Little research has focused on predictors of police IPV myth endorsement. The purpose of the present study was to assess police endorsement of IPV mythology and identify predictors of these myths, filling a gap in existing literature. 523 survey responses from police personnel commissioned at a large, urban police department in one of the fifth most populous and diverse US cities were employed to assess IPV myth endorsement and identify predictors of IPV myths. Univariate results demonstrated relatively low IPV myth endorsement. A multivariate ordinary least squares regression revealed that men, increased trauma misconceptions, and decreased perceptions of preparedness in responding to IPV were significantly associated with increased IPV myth endorsement. Future research should continue to examine police IPV myth endorsement in smaller, rural agencies and those departments with homogenous populations. Implications include the targeted hiring of women to increase representation and decrease collective myth endorsement. Augmented training to dismantle IPV myths and affirm trauma response may transform the culture of police agencies over time.