Relationship between the perpetrator-victim difference in educational level and type of violence exerted Pérez-Cámara, Noelia Amaoui, Sofía Bueso-Izquierdo, Natalia Marín-Morales, Agar Pérez García, Miguel Hidalgo Ruzzante, Natalia Adriana Intimate partner violence Perpetrator Educational level difference The research was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project: PSI2016-79481-R) “How does male batterers’ brain work when they take moral decisions?” and (Project: PID2019-111565GB) “Emotional regulation in male batterers of women victims of intimate partner violence: brain mechanisms and their relationship with violence variables”. NPC is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (University Faculty Training program: FPU21/01036). AMM is supported by the Spanish Public Administration “Ministerio de Universidades” and the European Union through the “NextGenerationEU” (Postdoctoral contract Margarita Salas). SA is supported by a postdoctoral research contract financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project: PID2021-128954NA). This work counts on the resources of the research group CTS-581 at the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC). 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. 2025-12-17T12:22:06Z 2025-12-17T12:22:06Z 2024 journal article Published version: Pérez-Cámara, N., Amaoui, S., Bueso-Izquierdo, N. et al. Relationship between the perpetrator-victim difference in educational level and type of violence exerted. Curr Psychol 43, 36964–36979 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-07133-8 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108906 10.1007/s12144-024-07133-8 eng open access Springer Nature