Relationship between the perpetrator-victim difference in educational level and type of violence exerted

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between the victim-perpetrator educational gap and the type of violence exerted within a sample of perpetrators, as well as to explore whether this relationship is mediated by distorted thoughts about women, attitudes toward the use of violence, and empathy. A total of 466 men convicted of an intimate partner violence-related crime were divided into two groups: Group EL < V (perpetrators with a lower educational level than the victim) and Group EL > V (perpetrators with a higher educational level than the victim). Mediation analyses were conducted using distorted thoughts about women, attitudes toward violence, and empathy as mediators. Perpetrators with a lower educational level than their partner exerted greater physical, psychological, and sexual violence compared to those with a higher educational level, but only when mediated by distorted thoughts about women and empathy. These findings have significant implications for both intervention programs and prevention strategies.