Understanding Intimate Partner Violence in Jordan: Application of the Ecological Model

PURPOSE: To compare and contrast the Heise “ecological model of gender-based violence” with factors related to “intimate partner violence” (IPV) in Jordan. METHODS: Findings of empirical studies examining IPV against Jordanian women were analyzed using the Heise ecological model (1998). CONCLUSION: Factors identified in the literature were generally consistent with the ecological model. However, the literature on IPV in Jordan rarely examined the role of community-level factors in the exosystem and sociopolitical factors in the macrosystem. Consequently, little is known about how these exosystem and macrosystem factors affect IPV in Jordan. The Heise model was then adapted to reflect identified factors in the Jordanian cultural context. PRACTICAL IMPLICATION: More research aimed at uncovering barriers to identification and treatment of IPV targeting the exosystem and macrosystem is needed.