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Prevalence of intimate partner violence against women: The Nordic Paradox

 

Comparative analysis of prevalence data on intimate partner violence (IPV) against women still raises an important number of research questions. Among these research questions are the reasons that explain differences in prevalence between various socio-economically defined social groups (age, income and education, country of origin, etc.), or the reasons that may explain differences in prevalence between countries. The Nordic Paradox, which refers to the high prevalence of IPV in countries with high levels of gender equality, remains one of the most puzzling issues in this field of research. In VIO-STRATEGY we try to respond to these and other research questions linked to the analysis of the prevalence of IPV.

Publications

2025

  • Gracia, E., Escobar-Hernández, P., López-Quílez, A., Marco, M., Lila, M., &, López-Ossorio, J. J. (2025). Police records of intimate partner violence against women in Spain: An eight-year analysis of demographic patterns and temporal trends. European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 7(2), 59-71. https://doi.org/10.5093/ejpalc2025a6

2024

  • Castro, A., Lila, M., Wemrell, M., & Gracia, E. (2024). Professional’s views on the ‘Nordic Paradox’ in a low intimate partner violence prevalence country. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 27, e13. https://doi.org/10.1017/SJP.2024.14

2023

  • Gracia, E., García-Senlle, M., Martín-Fernández, M., & Lila, M. (2023). High prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in young adulthood: Is prevention failing? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(17-18), 10205-10233. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231172479

2022

  • Castro, A., Lila, M., Gracia, E., & Wemrell, M. (2022). Professionals’ views on the comparatively low prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in Spain. Violence Against Women, 28(6-7), 1565-1586. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012211021106
  • Wemrell, M., Stjernlöf, S., Lila, M., Gracia, E., & Ivert, A. K. (2022). The Nordic Paradox. Professionals’ discussions about gender equality and intimate partner violence against women in Sweden. Women & Criminal Justice, 32(5), 431-453. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2021.1905588

2021

  • Karlsson, N., Lila, M., Gracia, E., & Wemrell, M. (2021). Representation of intimate partner violence against women in Swedish news media: A discourse analysis. Violence Against Women, 27(10), 1499-1524. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220940403

2020

  • Ivert, A. K., Gracia, E., Lila, M., Wemrell, M., & Merlo, J. (2020). Does country-level gender equality explain individual risk of intimate partner violence against women? A multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) in the European Union. European Journal of Public Health, 30(2), 293-299. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckz162
  • Martín-Fernández, M., Gracia, E., & Lila, M. (2020). Ensuring the comparability of cross-national survey data on intimate partner violence against women: A cross-sectional, population-based study in the European Union. BMJ Open, 10(3), e032231. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032231
  • Wemrell, M., Lila, M., Gracia, E., & Ivert, A. K. (2020). The Nordic Paradox and intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Sweden: A background overview. Sociology Compass, 14(1), e12759. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12759

2019

  • Gracia, E., Martín-Fernández, M., Lila, M., Merlo, J., & Ivert, A. K. (2019). Prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in Sweden and Spain: A psychometric study of the ‘Nordic paradox’. PloS One,14(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217015
  • Martín-Fernández, M., Gracia, E., & Lila, M. (2019). Psychological intimate partner violence against women in the European Union: A cross-national invariance study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7998-0
  • Wemrell, M., Stjernlöf, S., Aenishänslin, J., Lila, M., Gracia, E., & Ivert, A. K. (2019). Towards understanding the Nordic paradox: A review of qualitative interview studies on intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Sweden. Sociology Compass, 13(6), e12699. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12699

2018

  • Ivert, A. K., Merlo, J., & Gracia, E. (2018). Country of residence, gender equality and victim blaming attitudes about partner violence: A multilevel analysis in EU. The European Journal of Public Health, 28(3), 559-564. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckx138

2016