Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate sex differences in perpetration of low intensity intimate partner aggression in South Sudan, to compare levels of perpetration and victimisation, and further to test whether the revised gender symmetry theory (Archer, 2018) could be applicable in an African country. A questionnaire was filled in by 302 females and 118 males in South Sudan, the mean age was 22.5 years (SD 8.4) for women, and 25.6 years (SD 7.8) for men. Intimate partner aggression was measured with self-reports using both the perpetrator and the victim versions of the Direct Indirect Aggression Scales for Adults (DIAS-Adult; Österman - Björkqvist, 2009), which measures seven types of aggressive behavoiurs. The results showed no significant difference between females and males on perpetration of five out of seven types of aggression; physical, verbal and nonverbal aggression, as well as direct and indirect aggressive social manipulation. For females, levels of victimisation and perpetration of aggression were equally high; this was the case for all seven types of aggression while, for males, victimisation was significantly higher than perpetration on three types of aggression. The results provide support for the revised gender symmetry theory in an African developing country.
Highlights
Studies on domestic violence show that, worldwide, women are usually the victims whereas males are the main perpetrators (World Health Organisation, 2013)
Perpetration of intimate partner aggression was measured with self-reports using the perpetrator version of the Direct Indirect Aggression Scales for Adults (DIAS-Adult; Österman & Björkqvist, 2009), which consists of seven scales measuring physical aggression, verbal aggression, nonverbal aggression, direct aggressive social manipulation, indirect aggressive social manipulation, cyber aggression, and economic aggression
The results of the present study on low intensity intimate partner aggression showed that females and males reported themselves to be often perpetrators of five types of aggression
Summary
Studies on domestic violence show that, worldwide, women are usually the victims whereas males are the main perpetrators (World Health Organisation, 2013). High intensity intimate partner aggression has been studied extensively in both developed and developing countries, few studies so far have examined low intensity intimate partner aggression (IPA) in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to examine sex differences in perpetration of low intensity IPA, and to test the applicability of the revised gender symmetry theory (Archer, 2018) in an African developing country, South Sudan. The present study is a continuation, based on the same sample, of the study by Ndoromo, Björkqvist, and Österman (2017), where results of victimisation of low intensity IPA in South Sudan have been reported. Other forms of IPA, in which the harm or injury induced is psychological or social rather than physical, is referred to as low intensity aggression
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