Sunday B Fakunmoju
Research on demographic disparities in intimate partner violence (IPV) has yielded mixed findings. While age, gender, and race are recognized risk factors, their intersection across generational cohorts remains underexplored. This study addressed this gap by examining how gender, race/ethnicity, and generation jointly influence physical and sexual IPV victimization and perpetration. Using an intersectional framework, a three-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted on data from 467 US adults in intimate relationships, spanning Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. Descriptive results showed that victimization was more prevalent than perpetration, with slapping or throwing objects as the most reported abusive behavior. MANOVA results revealed significant main effects: Women reported higher sexual victimization than men, and Millennials reported higher rates of both victimization and perpetration than older cohorts. Interaction effects highlighted subgroup vulnerabilities. White women reported higher victimization than White men, while White men reported elevated sexual perpetration. Among Millennials, Black/non-White participants reported higher perpetration than their White counterparts. Within White women, Millennials experienced significantly greater victimization than Baby Boomers and Gen Z. White Millennial and Gen X men also reported more victimization than Baby Boomer men. Among Black/non-White women, Millennials showed higher physical perpetration than Gen Z and Gen X. Additionally, Gen Z White men reported more sexual perpetration than older White male cohorts. These findings underscore the need to consider intersecting identities when addressing IPV and highlight the importance of culturally and generationally responsive prevention strategies grounded in intersectionality and social learning theory.