Do you want to avoid the hassle of traveling with your printed poster? IAPHS2026 is pleased to make poster printing available to you through our supplier PosterSessionOnline. Your poster will be professionally reviewed, printed and shipped directly to Portland and you will be able to pick it up from the Poster desk. Click here to learn more.
Primary Submission Category: Structural factors
Structural Determinants of Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Structural Equation Modeling of Alaska BRFSS Data
Authors: Mary Wingert, Betty Bekemeier, Avanti Adhia, Oscar Olvera Astivia,
Presenting Author: Mary Wingert*
Purpose: Examine population-level risk and protective factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in Alaska to inform prevention efforts.
Background: Alaska consistently reports some of the highest IPV rates in the United States; approximately 70% of women report experiencing physical violence, psychological aggression, or coercive control by an intimate partner in their lifetime. IPV is associated with elevated risks for chronic physical and mental health conditions and imposes substantial economic costs on individuals and communities.
Methods: To examine population-level determinants of IPV, four years of Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data with IPV measures were used (2012, 2017, 2020, 2023). First, ordered-categorical exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to identify and validate latent constructs representing modifiable determinants, including health status, healthcare access, economic stress, and substance use. Structural equation modeling was then used to examine relationships among latent determinants and IPV victimization. Demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race, rural residence) were included as covariates. Longitudinal measurement invariance was evaluated across survey years to assess whether constructs retained comparable meaning.
Results: In preliminary structural equation modeling using 2023 Alaska BRFSS data (analytic n = 463), economic stress was strongly associated with poorer health status (β = 0.60). Both economic stress (β = 0.25) and poorer health status (β = 0.23) were associated with greater IPV victimization.
Conclusions: Findings suggest that structural economic vulnerability may shape IPV risk both directly and indirectly through health-related pathways. Identifying population-level, modifiable determinants of IPV can inform upstream prevention strategies and support public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing IPV and its health consequences in Alaska.