NCJ Number
197166
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 8 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 1208-1232
Date Published
October 2002
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study estimated the prevalence of intimate partner violence by type.
Abstract
The types of violence under the term intimate partner violence include physical assault, sexual assault, psychological abuse, and battering. Women between the ages of 18 and 45 were surveyed by questionnaire. Women were asked about their current or past intimate relationship with a man. Results show that 18 percent of the women reported some type of intimate partner violence in their current or most recent relationship. Thirteen percent reported battering, 9 percent reported physical assaults, 8 percent reported sexual assaults, and 6 percent reported battering without physical or sexual assault. The study found both differentiation and co-occurrence between the three types of intimate partner violence. Overall correlations between the three measures of battering, physical assault, and sexual assault were modest but statistically significant. Women that were single, separated/divorced, formerly in a relationship, or working full-time or part-time were more likely to be battered, as were women with lower family incomes. The relationship between battering and having less education was close to significant. Younger, African-American, and separated/divorced women were more likely to have experienced physical assault by a partner. Having less education and lower family income were also associated with physical assault. Women that were formerly in a relationship, single or separated/divorced were more likely to have been sexually assaulted by a male partner. Lower education levels and lower family income were also associated with experiencing sexual assault. Independent of type, intimate partner violence was associated with negative health behaviors, poor health status, and being less likely to get regular health checkups. Surprisingly, none of the three types of intimate partner violence was associated with an increased number of doctor or hospital visits in the past year. All three types of abused women were more likely than nonabused women to have lower perceived social support, although they had similar levels of weekly contact with family or friends. The data suggest that a single measurement instrument or screening tool cannot capture all aspects of abuse. Appendix, 30 references