[What we know about men who commit violence against their intimate partners: a systematic review]. / O que se sabe sobre o homem autor de violência contra a parceira íntima: uma revisão sistemática.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of men who commit violence against their female intimate partners. METHODS: A systematic review of the international literature published between 2000 and 2010 was conducted in the LILACS, MEDLINE, and SciELO databases. The search retrieved 3 452 articles, 33 of which were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected articles were analyzed for bibliometric data and socioeconomic characteristics of the men accused of committing violence against their partners. RESULTS: Most articles were published between 2000 and 2010, in English, based on data reported by the victims. Some variables were associated with domestic violence, such as educational attainment and employment status of the offender. These variables did not include the duration of the relationships. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant gap in literature regarding the study of motivations and conditioning factors behind perpetrators of domestic violence. Investigating these factors is important in order to establish measures against this type of violence.