Levels of Coercive Control Differentiate Between Groups of Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia.

The authors used Johnson's typology of intimate partner violence (IPV) to examine groupings of women experiencing physical violence within their intimate relationships according to coercive control levels. Analyses were conducted using data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey. In particular, the authors used a subsample of 12,237 ever-married (or cohabitating) women between the ages of 14 and 49 years, who reported at least one experience of physical violence. Exploratory and confirmatory cluster analyses demonstrated a good fit for a two-cluster solution based on coercive-control levels. Forty eight percent of women in the sample were classified in the high-control group. Comparisons between currently married and formerly married women evidenced formerly married women reported more physical violence, severe physical violence, physical consequences of violence, and psychological consequences of violence than currently married women. Furthermore, comparisons within the high-control group and the low-control group evidenced that formerly married women displayed higher scores in all six variables than currently married women. Findings from this study contribute to support Johnson's control-based IPV theory and its application in Colombia.