NCJ Number
221819
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 18 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2003 Pages: 959-974
Date Published
September 2003
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to examine the potential implications of household interviews on participation bias for estimates of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Abstract
If a household study included only those women who agreed to participate in a discussion about their relationship and domestic violence, when their partner was in another room, the prevalence estimates of moderate to high intimate partner violence (IPV) would be underestimated (assuming IPV reports are accurate). This finding lends support to the projected, however unmeasured, belief that nonparticipants likely have a greater abuse experience than those women who agree to participate in the household survey. In addition, women in the study tended to view the severity of their experiences with IPV as less abusive than the objective measures suggest, supporting the argument from previous research that it is important to consider victims’ perceptions as well as the commonly used objective measures. Despite the important strides made in IPV measurement, the focus tends to be on the impact of information biases. To obtain IPV prevalence estimates, most contemporary studies use household and telephone surveys. The purpose of this study was to quantify the potential impact of nonparticipation bias on IPV prevalence estimates ascertained in household studies that could involve the presence of the intimate partner. The sample used in the study provided a representation of women who would be asked to participate in a household survey. Table, references