intimate partner violence; victimization; female students

Objective: This paper aims to examine Kosovo female student victimization (physical, psychological, and sexual) and its correlates using a socioecological framework while testing the applicability of Western models of violence against women in a previously unexplored context. Method: The sequential explanatory mixed-method design was used, a quantitative phase was used for collecting data on individual- and relationship-level correlates, and focus group discussions were used for gathering data on sociocultural correlates. Three hundred forty-five female students who had been in a heterosexual dating relationship in the past year completed the Conflict Tactic Scales-2 (CTS-2; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996) and Personal and Relationships Profile (PRP; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 2004). Women were then purposively recruited for the 2 focus group discussions to examine the sociocultural correlates. In total, 11 female students participated. Results: Findings of the quantitative phase of the study show that individual-level correlates (depressive symptoms and stressful conditions) and relationship-level correlates (conflict and jealousy) appear to be associated with female IPV victimization. Regarding sociocultural correlates, focus group discussions revealed that changes in values, gender roles, tolerant attitudes, and adherence to patriarchal norms were associated with female victimization while reflecting the consistency of findings obtained from quantitative data. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide evidence for the applicability of Western models of intimate partner violence to diverse cultural settings and implications for prevention interventions, suggesting that various previously established and the newest correlates should be tackled when designing prevention intervention, including individual, relationship, and sociocultural correlates.