Social cognitive factors in attitudes toward intimate partner violence: Mentalization and emotion recognition

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of individuals' mentalization and emotion recognition skills on their attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). To this end, the study investigated whether mentalization and emotion recognition scores predict attitudes toward violence, control, and abuse; and whether this relationship varies across demographic variables such as gender, age, education level, income status, marital status, and past experiences of violence. The study was conducted with 291 participants aged between 18–64. Data were collected using the Demographic Information Form, the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised (IPVAS-R), the Mentalization Scale (MentS), and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Multiple Linear Regression Analysis were conducted to identify the predictors of attitudes toward IPV. As a result, attitudes toward intimate partner violence subscales differed depending on mentalization subscales and emotion recognition skills.