structural relationship between autonomy and intimate partner violence: mediation role of self-esteem

Objective: intimate partner violence represents a prevalent issue for women and is strongly correlated with mental health difficulties. previous research has primarily concentrated on identifying factors that can anticipate intimate partner violence, specifically individual and interpersonal factors. this investigation examines the structural associations between autonomy and ipv among iranian women who have encountered such violence, shedding illumination on the intricate factors contributing to ipv and potential avenues for intervention.methods: the research method is a correlation, and the structural equation modeling method was used to test the proposed model. the statistical population was all women referred to counseling clinics in bandar abbas city in 2023. data were collected from a sample of 306 iranian women who had undergone ipv via purposive sampling method, utilizing a domestic violence questionnaire (mohseni tabrizi et al., 2013), basic psychological need satisfaction scale (la guardia et al., 2000), and rosenberg self-esteem scale (rosenberg, 1979).results: the findings corroborated the appropriate fit of the proposed model and disclosed that autonomy exerted noteworthy direct and indirect effects on ipv, which were mediated through self-esteem.conclusion: the findings show that with the increase in women’s autonomy, intimate partner violence decreases, and self-esteem plays a moderating role in the relationship between these two variables. these outcomes provide valuable novel insights into the intricate dynamics of ipv and hold promise for the development of targeted interventions aimed at preventing ipv and supporting the well-being of affected individuals.