scholarly journals A Brief Review of Intimate Partner Violence in the United States: Nature, Correlates, and Proposed Preventative Measures

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela C. Regan ◽  
Ramani S. Durvasula

Aggression and violence are themes which characterize a significant proportion of many close romantic relationships. Both women and men may find themselves caught in a web of intimate terror – controlled, manipulated, and hurt by a coercive and violent partner. In this brief review article, we summarize existing literature on the form of intimate partner violence known as coercive controlling violence (CCV), domestic abuse, or intimate terrorism. We begin by discussing the nature and consequences of CCV relationships. Personal or individual (e.g., biological sex, age, immigrant status, socioeconomic status, attitudes and beliefs, mental health and psychopathology), relational or interpersonal (e.g., relationship type, relationship satisfaction), and environmental (e.g., economic strain, social isolation) risk factors associated with the occurrence of domestic abuse are identified. Finally, potential preventative measures at the individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural level that may serve to reduce the likelihood of this pernicious interpersonal phenomenon are considered.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-25
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Spencer ◽  
Anthony M. Limperos

On September 8, 2014, a graphic video showing Ray Rice punch and render his fiancée unconscious was released to the public. This event was a catalyst for discussion into how the media cover intimate partner violence (IPV) committed by National Football League (NFL) players. Media frames can shape the way audiences make sense of an issue. As the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) has a journalistic responsibility to frame and address sociocultural issues related to sports, especially those involving crime, health, and safety. IPV is a pervasive sociocultural issue affecting millions of people in the United States, and media frames can shape the way audiences understand the subject matter and the themes surrounding IPV. This research used qualitative textual analysis to examine ESPN’s website coverage of IPV incidents committed by NFL players 2 years prior to and after the Ray Rice incident. Our findings show that instances of IPV were more episodically than thematically framed before the Ray Rice incident. Framing of IPV was revealed in four themes: focus on the individual player, problem for the team, the NFL’s problem, and missing the point. Further analysis and theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


This book examines critical issues in prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) at the individual, community, and systems levels. The contributors present an overview of the extant evidence from current evaluations of promising, innovative prevention programs, including those designed to meet the needs of underserved groups, in the United States and throughout the world, and ways that obstacles to prevention may be overcome. In addition, the contributors, who are researchers in a variety of disciplines along with practitioners in the field, discuss the meaning of "success" in relation to IPV prevention and how successful outcomes may be measured. The contributors present collaborative, interdisciplinary work to identify gaps in knowledge about IPV prevention, and to offer recommendations for future research on and prioritizing of prevention strategies.


Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenora Olson ◽  
Frank Huyler ◽  
Arthur W Lynch ◽  
Lynne Fullerton ◽  
Deborah Werenko ◽  
...  

Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and in women the second leading cause of injury death overall. Previous studies have suggested links between intimate partner violence and suicide in women. We examined female suicide deaths to identify and describe associated risk factors. We reviewed all reports from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator for female suicide deaths occurring in New Mexico from 1990 to 1994. Information abstracted included demographics, mechanism of death, presence of alcohol/drugs, clinical depression, intimate partner violence, health problems, and other variables. Annual rates were calculated based on the 1990 census. The New Mexico female suicide death rate was 8.2/100,000 persons per year (n = 313), nearly twice the U. S. rate of 4.5/100,000. Non-Hispanic whites were overrepresented compared to Hispanics and American Indians. Decedents ranged in age from 14 to 93 years (median = 43 years). Firearms accounted for 45.7% of the suicide deaths, followed by ingested poisons (29.1%), hanging (10.5%), other (7.7%), and inhaled poisons (7.0%). Intimate partner violence was documented in 5.1% of female suicide deaths; in an additional 22.1% of cases, a male intimate partner fought with or separated from the decedent immediately preceding the suicide. Nearly two-thirds (65.5%) of the decedents had alcohol or drugs present in their blood at autopsy. Among decedents who had alcohol present (34.5%), blood alcohol levels were far higher among American Indians compared to Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites (p = .01). Interpersonal conflict was documented in over 25% of cases, indicating that studies of the mortality of intimate partner violence should include victims of both suicide and homicide deaths to fully characterize the mortality patterns of intimate partner violence.


2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa L. Beeble ◽  
Deborah Bybee ◽  
Cris M. Sullivan

While research has found that millions of children in the United States are exposed to their mothers being battered, and that many are themselves abused as well, little is known about the ways in which children are used by abusers to manipulate or harm their mothers. Anecdotal evidence suggests that perpetrators use children in a variety of ways to control and harm women; however, no studies to date have empirically examined the extent of this occurring. Therefore, the current study examined the extent to which survivors of abuse experienced this, as well as the conditions under which it occurred. Interviews were conducted with 156 women who had experienced recent intimate partner violence. Each of these women had at least one child between the ages of 5 and 12. Most women (88%) reported that their assailants had used their children against them in varying ways. Multiple variables were found to be related to this occurring, including the relationship between the assailant and the children, the extent of physical and emotional abuse used by the abuser against the woman, and the assailant's court-ordered visitation status. Findings point toward the complex situational conditions by which assailants use the children of their partners or ex-partners to continue the abuse, and the need for a great deal more research in this area.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-195
Author(s):  
Jill Theresa Messing ◽  
Meredith E Bagwell-Gray ◽  
Allison Ward-Lasher ◽  
Alesha Durfee

Protection orders (POs) are one legal system resource available to survivors of intimate partner violence. Many survivors choose not to obtain a PO, yet prior research has not examined the perspectives of these survivors. This study examined the open-ended survey responses ( n = 308) regarding the choice not to obtain a PO by survivors residing in emergency shelters in the United States. Content analysis indicated that many survivors made deliberate decisions to not seek safety through this venue. Survivors indicated that a PO may increase their partner’s violence, identified substantial barriers, evaluated a PO as unnecessary, preferred alternative strategies, were dealing with complex partner dynamics, and chose to protect their loved ones by not seeking a PO. Women with marginalized identities, in particular, indicated that there are multiple costs to seeking interventions within the legal system. Structural changes are needed within the legal system to facilitate access to justice for survivors.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110014
Author(s):  
Rob Stephenson ◽  
Lynae A. Darbes ◽  
Matthew T Rosso ◽  
Catherine Washington ◽  
Lisa Hightow-Weidman ◽  
...  

There has been a growth in research illustrating that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at rates that are comparable to those among heterosexual women. However, the majority of research on IPV among same-sex male couples has focused on adults, and research on the experience of IPV among younger men (those aged under 18), remains at a nascent stage, despite knowledge that IPV is often common among younger men. This article adds to the growing body of literature on IPV among young GBMSM (YGBMSM) through of an analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews (IDI) with GBMSM aged 15–19 ( n = 30) in romantic relationships partnerships. The study sought to explore issues of relationship development, relationship contexts, and understandings of IPV. More than one-half of the sample reported experiencing some form of IPV in their current or past relationships. Participants described a range of experiences of IPV, including physical IPV, emotional IPV, sexual IPV, and controlling behaviors. Emotional IPV in the form of negative comments and controlling behaviors such as jealousy were the most commonly reported forms of violence behaviors. Although few participants reported experiencing physical or sexual IPV, several discussed concerns about giving, and partners’ acknowledging, sexual consent. Antecedents to IPV included wanting or feeling pressured to participate in normative development milestones, short-lived relationships, and societal stigma. Interventions that develop content on IPV and that reflect the lived realities of YGBMSM who are experiencing their first relationships are urgently needed. Study findings also support the need for training teachers, health care providers, and parents to identify signs of IPV and provide them with the knowledge and skills to talk to YGBMSM about relationships and violence to reduce IPV.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emiru Merdassa Atomssa ◽  
Araya Abrha Medhanyie ◽  
Girmatsion Fisseha

Abstract Background The prevalence of Intimate partner violence (IPV) is higher in societies with higher acceptance of norms that support IPV. In Ethiopia, the proportion of women’s acceptance of IPV was 69%, posing a central challenge in preventing IPV. The main objective of this study was to assess the individual and community-level factors associated with women’s acceptance of IPV. Methods Two-level mixed-effects logistic regression was applied to the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey data. A total of 16,366 women nested in the 596 clusters were included in the analysis. Results The acceptability of the IPV was estimated to be 69%. Among the individual-level factors: women’s education with secondary and above (AOR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.29–0.52), partner’s education secondary and above (AOR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.54–0.82), women aged 35–49 years (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.54–0.82), fully empowered in household level decision making (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI0.54–0.81), literate (AOR = 0.76; 95% CI 0.62–0.92), and perceived existence of law that prevents IPV (AOR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.50–0.63) were significantly associated with women’s acceptance of IPV. Similarly, rural residence (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI 1.53–2.43) and living in the State region (AOR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.81–3.10) were significantly associated with the women’s acceptance of IPV among the community-level factors. Conclusion Both individual and community-level factors were significant risk factors for the acceptability of intimate partner violence. Women's education, women's age, women’s empowerment, partner education level, perceived existence of the law, and literacy were among individual factors. State region and residence were among community-level risk factors significantly associated women’s acceptance of IPV.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199745
Author(s):  
Rob Stephenson ◽  
Tanaka M.D. Chavanduka ◽  
Matthew T. Rosso ◽  
Stephen P. Sullivan ◽  
Renée A. Pitter ◽  
...  

Stay at home orders–intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by limiting social contact–have forced people to remain in their homes. The additional stressors created by the need to stay home and socially isolate may act as triggers to intimate partner violence (IPV). In this article, we present data from a recent online cross-sectional survey with gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in the United States to illustrate changes in IPV risks that have occurred during the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic. The Love and Sex in the Time of COVID-19 survey was conducted online from April to May 2020. GBMSM were recruited through paid banner advertisements featured on social networking platforms, recruiting a sample size of 696 GBMSM. Analysis considers changes in victimization and perpetration of IPV during the 3 months prior to the survey (March-May 2020) that represents the first 3 months of lockdown during the COVID-19 epidemic. During the period March-May 2020, 12.6% of participants reported experiencing any IPV with higher rates of emotional IPV (10.3%) than sexual (2.2%) or physical (1.8%) IPV. Of those who reported IPV victimization during lockdown, for almost half this was their first time experience: 5.3% reported the IPV they experienced happened for the first time during the past 3 months (0.8% physical, 2.13% sexual, and 3.3% emotional). Reporting of perpetration of IPV during lockdown was lower: only 6% reported perpetrating any IPV, with perpetration rates of 1.5% for physical, 0.5% for sexual, and 5.3% for emotional IPV. Of those who reported perpetration of IPV during lockdown, very small percentages reported that this was the first time they had perpetrated IPV: 0.9% for any IPV (0.2% physical, 0.2% sexual, and 0.6% emotional). The results illustrate an increased need for IPV resources for GBMSM during these times of increased stress and uncertainty, and the need to find models of resource and service delivery that can work inside of social distancing guidelines while protecting the confidentiality and safety of those who are experiencing IPV.


Author(s):  
Danielle Toccalino ◽  
Amy Moore ◽  
Sophia Chuon Gutierrez ◽  
Angela Colantonio ◽  
Christine M. Wickens ◽  
...  

Introduction: One in four Canadian women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased rates of IPV globally and the level of violence encountered, exposing IPV survivors to greater risk of physical injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI). Up to 75% of survivors are suspected of sustaining a TBI and 50-75% experience mental health or substance use challenges (MHSU) as a result of IPV, resulting in extensive personal, social, and economic implications. Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize what is currently known in the literature about MHSU and TBI among survivors of IPV and identify gaps. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles using a search strategy including text words and subject headings related to TBI, IPV, and MHSU. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion. Results: The search identified 399 unique articles, 34 of which were included in this study. Of these, 11 articles reported on MHSU in IPV-related TBI and 9 articles reported on both TBI and MHSU in IPV but did not discuss the groups together. The remainder were reviews or theses that noted MHSU in IPV-related TBI. Included articles predominantly focused on cis-gendered women in heterosexual relationships and were conducted in the United States. Only three articles focused on the experiences of Black or Indigenous women and none of the included studies discussed implications of co-occurring TBI and MHSU on survivor’s healthcare-related needs or access to care. Conclusions: Despite the high rates of co-occurring TBI and MHSU among survivors of IPV, there is little research on this intersection and no investigation of the impacts on the health system. Future research should focus on identifying the healthcare-related needs of survivors and identifying and mitigating barriers to access.


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