Background. There has been an ongoing debate about the nature of gender differences in the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of this thesis is to use latent class analysis (LCA) to test for gender differences in the patterns of IPV. It also examines differences across the classes with respect to violence-related characteristics, health experiences, help-seeking, and the socio-demographic correlates.

Methods. Data from Statistics Canada's 2004 General Social Survey were used, which involved a probability sample of individuals 15 years of age and over living in the ten provinces. The analytic sample includes women (n = 8,360) and men (n = 7,056) who reported a current or ex-spouse, or cohabiting partner. Latent class analysis was conducted to examine the patterns of IPV, and latent class regression was conducted to examine the correlates of the different classes.

Results. A six class model best described women's experiences of IPV, while a four-class model was found for men. Women and men were equally likely to experience less severe acts of physical aggression that were not embedded in a pattern of control. Only women experienced a pattern of severe violence and control. Women also experienced an intermediate aggression class involving less severe acts of physical aggression, verbal abuse, and control. Men experienced a pattern involving moderate violence, verbal abuse, and control. Patterns describing exclusively non-physical acts of abuse were also found for women and men. Any experience of physical or non-physical IPV was associated with negative health experiences. However, the impact of the abuse increased for both women and men as the pattern of controlling and violent behaviour became more severe. Meaningful differences across the classes were also found in formal and informal help-seeking for women and men. The socio-demographic analysis generally showed more similarities than differences across the classes.

Conclusions. These results support the use of LCA in identifying meaningful patterns of IPV. The classes provide a more nuanced picture of people's experiences of IPV than gender-neutral definitions that focus on the presence of absence of physical abuse, and provide some insight into the gendered nature of this experience.