By the Grace of God: Religiosity, Religious Self-Regulation, and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence

Authors

Claire M. Renzetti, University of KentuckyFollow
C. Nathan DeWall, University of KentuckyFollow
Amy J. Messer, University of KentuckyFollow
Richard S. Pond Jr., University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Abstract

Although some researchers have argued that religiosity has a deterrent effect on criminal offending in general, and serves as a protective factor against men’s intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, others have obtained inconsistent or contradictory findings indicating that religiosity per se may be less important than other factors and may be protective only for some groups of men. The present study extends previous research by using measures that gauge multiple dimensions of religiosity to examine its effects on IPV perpetration among a national, community sample of adult men (N = 260). Findings indicate that religiosity is functionally less important than religious self-regulation in reducing men’s likelihood of IPV perpetration, supporting previous research showing that the protective effects of religiosity may be limited to certain groups of men. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-21-2015

Notes/Citation Information

To be published in Journal of Family Issues.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X15576964

Repository Citation

Renzetti, Claire M.; DeWall, C. Nathan; Messer, Amy J.; and Pond, Richard S. Jr., "By the Grace of God: Religiosity, Religious Self-Regulation, and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence" (2015). CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles. 308.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/crvaw_facpub/308