Latent classes of men’s intimate partner violence perpetration and attitudes towards gender norms: A UN multi-country, cross-sectional study in Asia and the Pacific

OBJECTIVE: To examine distinct patterns of IPV perpetration and examined gender equitable attitudes as a correlate of these patterns among men from six countries in Asia and the Pacific. DESIGN: 2011–12 UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence cross-sectional study. SETTING: Households in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea. PARTICIPANTS: 10,178 men aged 18–49 years residing in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea. PRIMARY OUTCOMES MEASURE: Our primary outcome was distinct patterns of IPV perpetration which were derived from multilevel latent class analyses. RESULTS: The odds of being assigned to the Low All Forms of IPV Perpetration class than the High All Forms of IPV Perpetration class was lower for men in the middle tertile group than men in the high tertile group for gender equitable attitudes. The odds of being assigned to the High Emotional IPV Perpetration class than the High All Forms of IPV Perpetration class was greater for men in the low tertile group than men in the high tertile group for gender equitable attitudes. The odds of being assigned to the High Physical/Emotional/Economic IPV Perpetration class than the High All Forms of IPV Perpetration class was lower for men in the low tertile group than men in the high tertile group for gender equitable attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Gender transformative interventions that use an adaptive, personalized approach to men’s typology of IPV perpetration may be beneficial to reduce violence against for women in the Asia-Pacific region.