The social-ecological framework for understanding intimate partner violence

Curr Opin Psychol. 2025 Dec 29;68:102256. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102256. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This paper applies the social-ecological framework to understanding intimate partner violence (IPV) as a multilayered phenomenon shaped by individual, relational, community, and sociocultural factors. At the individual level, early trauma, mental health, and personality traits influence IPV risk. Relational dynamics such as power, control, and post-separation abuse further shape patterns of violence. Community factors including neighborhood disadvantage, institutional failures, and limited service access create additional vulnerability. At the societal level, gender norms, patriarchy, and structural inequalities sustain IPV through cultural acceptance and legal inconsistencies. By integrating research across levels, we highlight the necessity of context to develop comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and culturally-informed prevention and intervention strategies that address the complex ecology of IPV.

PMID:41506056 | DOI:10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102256