Measuring intimate partner violence among farmworkers in San Diego County, California: An exploratory study

Background and Objective: Little is known about intimate partner violence (IPV) among farmworkers. Given the demands of agricultural labor, farmworkers are susceptible to occupation-specific stressors that may result in relationship conflict, and thereafter IPV. Hazardous drinking may further increase the IPV risk. This study estimated IPV prevalence among a sample of farmworkers in San Diego County, and assessed the association of potential IPV correlates. Methods: Unrelated male (n=37) and female (n=61) farmworkers were recruited via a snowball sampling approach. Bilingual interviewers conducted survey data collection using standardized instruments. Past-12 month IPV was measured with the CTS2; farmwork-related stress was measured with the Migrant Farm Work Stress Inventory (MFWSI); hazardous drinking was measured with the AUDIT. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to test the contribution of independent variables to the likelihood of IPV. Results: IPV prevalence was 16% among females and 32% among males. Significant IPV correlates among males were hazardous drinking (OR=1.16; 95% CI 1.02, 1.32); among females, impulsivity (OR=3.38; 95% CI 1.37, 8.31). Although MFWSI scores were not significantly associated with IPV, the factor encompassing ‘work conditions' was correlated with IPV perpetration for both men and women (r=.20; p<0.05). Conclusion: Findings suggest that married/cohabiting farmworkers experience IPV at similar rates as community-based or general household population samples, and that poor working conditions may be associated with IPV. Additional research is warranted to explore the role of working conditions, acculturation- and job stress, drinking, and other personal characteristics and environmental factors in precipitating IPV among this under-researched farmworker population.