THEORY AND METHODS

Uncovering neighbourhood influences on intimate partner violence using concept mapping

Patricia O’Campo^1,2, Jessica Burke², Geri Lynn Peak^2,3, Karen A McDonnell⁴, Andrea C Gielen⁵

¹ Centre for Research on Inner City health, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
² Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
³ Two Gems Consulting, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
⁴ Maternal and Child Health Program, George Washington University School of Public Health, Washington DC, USA
⁵ Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr P O’Campo
Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 1W8; pat.ocampo{at}utoronto.ca

While neighbourhood influences on the risk of intimate partner violence have been reported, this body of research has suffered from a lack of strong theoretical and conceptual guidance, and few studies have examined the potential pathways from neighbourhoods to intimate partner violence. This paper used concept mapping methods with 37 women who were residents of Baltimore City to obtain cluster maps representing the important neighbourhood domains that affect the prevalence, perpetration, severity, and cessation of intimate partner violence. Domains important for intimate partner severity and perpetration differed from those important for cessation of intimate partner violence. Finally, diagrams of the domains, drawn by the concept mapping participants, illustrated the pathways by which neighbourhood characteristics potentially influence intimate partner violence severity, perpetration, and cessation. These results can be used to generate testable hypotheses regarding neighbourhood influences on intimate partner violence in future quantitative research and to inform the design of public health intimate partner violence programmes.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; qualitative research; urban health; neighbourhoods

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