Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic patterns and temporal trends of police records of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Spain over an eight-year period. Method: Data were police records of cases of IPVAW in Spain (excluding Catalonia and the Basque Countr...
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Sociedad Española de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
2025-07-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context |
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https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/art/ejpalc2025a6
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| author | Enrique Gracia Pablo Escobar-Hernández Antonio López-Quílez Miriam Marco Marisol Lila Juan J. López-Ossorio |
| author_facet | Enrique Gracia Pablo Escobar-Hernández Antonio López-Quílez Miriam Marco Marisol Lila Juan J. López-Ossorio |
| author_sort | Enrique Gracia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic patterns and temporal trends of police records of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Spain over an eight-year period. Method: Data were police records of cases of IPVAW in Spain (excluding Catalonia and the Basque Country), recorded between 2016 and 2023 (N = 651,992). Descriptive analysis and analysis of rate differences were conducted for different demographic groups: age, nationality, and urban-rural area. Time series decomposition analyses were conducted to assess change over time, and seasonality for all police records as well as for the demographic groups. Results: Rates of police-recorded IPVAW were significantly higher among younger age groups, among foreign nationals, and in urban areas. Time series analyses showed a significant increase in police-recorded IPVAW over the eight-year period, both in general and for the different demographic groups. A clear seasonal pattern emerged both in general and for the different demographic groups (except for the older age group), with an increase in police-recorded IPVAW in the months of July and August. Conclusions: The increase in police records of IPVAW suggests that the gap between officially recorded and actual prevalence of this type of violence is narrowing in Spain. The high rates of police-recorded IPVAW among younger women and immigrant women support research suggesting that these demographic groups are at greater risk of this type of violence. Seasonal patterns are discussed in terms of changes in behavior during the summer months that seem to increase the risk of IPVAW. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e70f94e5fda4d40b7545ca4bf4457a6 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1889-1861 1989-4007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Sociedad Española de Psicología Jurídica y Forense |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e70f94e5fda4d40b7545ca4bf4457a62025-07-30T10:32:10ZengSociedad Española de Psicología Jurídica y ForenseEuropean Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context1889-18611989-40072025-07-01172597110.5093/ejpalc2025a611320559Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal TrendsEnrique Gracia0Pablo Escobar-Hernández1Antonio López-Quílez2Miriam Marco3Marisol Lila4Juan J. López-Ossorio5University of Valencia, Valencia , Spain, University of Valencia, Spain;University of Valencia, Valencia , Spain, University of Valencia, Spain;University of Valencia, Valencia , Spain, University of Valencia, Spain;University of Valencia, Valencia , Spain, University of Valencia, Spain;University of Valencia, Valencia , Spain, University of Valencia, Spain;Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad, Ministerio del Interior, Madrid , Spain, Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad, Ministerio del Interior, Madrid, SpainObjective: The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic patterns and temporal trends of police records of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Spain over an eight-year period. Method: Data were police records of cases of IPVAW in Spain (excluding Catalonia and the Basque Country), recorded between 2016 and 2023 (N = 651,992). Descriptive analysis and analysis of rate differences were conducted for different demographic groups: age, nationality, and urban-rural area. Time series decomposition analyses were conducted to assess change over time, and seasonality for all police records as well as for the demographic groups. Results: Rates of police-recorded IPVAW were significantly higher among younger age groups, among foreign nationals, and in urban areas. Time series analyses showed a significant increase in police-recorded IPVAW over the eight-year period, both in general and for the different demographic groups. A clear seasonal pattern emerged both in general and for the different demographic groups (except for the older age group), with an increase in police-recorded IPVAW in the months of July and August. Conclusions: The increase in police records of IPVAW suggests that the gap between officially recorded and actual prevalence of this type of violence is narrowing in Spain. The high rates of police-recorded IPVAW among younger women and immigrant women support research suggesting that these demographic groups are at greater risk of this type of violence. Seasonal patterns are discussed in terms of changes in behavior during the summer months that seem to increase the risk of IPVAW. https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/art/ejpalc2025a6 intimate partner violenceviolence against womenpolice recordsagenationalitytime series analysisseasonality |
| spellingShingle | Enrique Gracia Pablo Escobar-Hernández Antonio López-Quílez Miriam Marco Marisol Lila Juan J. López-Ossorio Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context intimate partner violence violence against women police records age nationality time series analysis seasonality |
| title | Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends |
| title_full | Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends |
| title_fullStr | Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends |
| title_full_unstemmed | Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends |
| title_short | Police Records of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Spain: An Eight-year Analysis of Demographic Patterns and Temporal Trends |
| title_sort | police records of intimate partner violence against women in spain an eight year analysis of demographic patterns and temporal trends |
| topic | intimate partner violence violence against women police records age nationality time series analysis seasonality |
| url |
https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/art/ejpalc2025a6
|
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