How Do Third Parties Respond to Intimate Partner Violence? The Role of the Victim’s Justification of Violence

Previous research shows that victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) often justify violence, which can play a role in the persistence of violence. The present studies examined whether the victim’s justification of violence negatively affects third parties’ evaluative responses toward the victim (general evaluation of the victim, victim blaming, and evaluation of the victim’s response toward the violence) and negatively affects third parties’ willingness to support and take action. We also examined whether this would occur especially when the violence had happened frequently in the past. In two experimental studies (one in the Netherlands, Study 1, N = 220; one in Indonesia, Study 2, N = 231), participants watched a video depicting IPV. After watching the video, we manipulated the victim’s justification of violence (high vs. low justification of violence) as well as the frequency of violence experienced by the victim in the past (high vs. low past frequency). Consistent across the two studies, the results showed that when they justified violence (as compared to when they did not justify violence), victims were evaluated more negatively. There were no effects on victim blaming, willingness to support, and willingness to take action. We also found the effects of past frequency of violence on victim evaluation and willingness to take action. We discuss how the current findings extend previous research on the consequences of justification of violence as well as on third-party responses toward victims.