Bidirectional Violence in Intimate Relationships: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a public health problem with significant consequences at different levels. Over the years, the literature has shown that most violence is not unidirectional and perpetrated by men against women but rather bidirectional, in which both couple elements may be victims, perpetrators, or both. In this systematic literature review, we aimed to systematize the empirical knowledge to assess the prevalence of bidirectional violence, the most reported types of violence, and the influence of sex and sexual orientation on this phenomenon. The search for this systematic review was conducted in four databases, and we included studies that showed the prevalence of bidirectional violence in samples aged over 18 years, in articles written in English or Portuguese, and published between 2012 and 2022. In the qualitative synthesis, 42 empirical studies were included. The results showed that bidirectional violence is the most common pattern of violence, with psychological violence being the most reported type of bidirectional violence; men and women reported bidirectional violence at similar rates, and homosexual couples reported higher percentages of bidirectional violence than heterosexual couples. These results contradict the patriarchalist view of violence that assigns the exclusivity role of the victim to women and of the perpetrator to men, demonstrating that violence occurs regardless of sex or sexual orientation. The practical implications and future directions at the level of public policies to give visibility to the phenomenon will be duly discussed.