“Mind Your Business!”

Black Cultural Norms and Intimate Partner Violence among Black College Students

Although Black college students are believed to be at greater risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) than their White and Asian American peers, few studies report how Black cultural norms are associated with the attitudes, motivations, and justifications surrounding their participation in IPV. Using interview data from 14 Black students across two college campuses – one Historically Black College/University and one predominantly White institution – in the Southeastern United States, this qualitative study explored Black college students' conceptualizations of IPV, and the psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence IPV perpetration and victimization. Specifically, the results reveal norms that are especially salient to the Black community (e.g., religiosity) as well as unique to the Black community (e.g., Police killings of unarmed Black men) are key aspects of Black college students’ lives that frame the way they perceive and experience IPV. The findings will be discussed with respect to individual and contextual domains, and an open dialog on future directions is encouraged.