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Feb 8, 2024 · Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. Intimate partner refers to both current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV can vary in how often it happens and how severe it is. It can range from one episode of violence to chronic and severe episodes over multiple years.
- Risk and Protective Factors
Intimate partner violence is not caused by a single factor....
- About Teen Dating Violence
Key points. Teen dating violence, also called "dating...
- Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence is a serious problem that has...
- About Stalking
Stalking involves a perpetrator’s use of a pattern of...
- Resources
Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Resource for Action:...
- Risk and Protective Factors
- Overview
- Types of Intimate Partner Violence
- Signs of Intimate Partner Violence
- Causes of Intimate Partner Violence
- Impact of Intimate Partner Violence
- Conclusion
Intimate partner violence (IPV), also referred to as domestic abuse or domestic violence, is a form of abuse that occurs in romantic relationships, by current or former partners or spouses.
Intimate partner violence involves abusive or aggressive behavior that is meant to frighten, hurt, manipulate, or control someone. It may involve a series of episodes over several years or a single episode that can have a lasting impact. It is considered to be a major global public health issue. In fact, it is estimated that in the United States, it is the most common but least reported crime.
"People who experience abuse from their partners often have a difficult time recognizing abuse due to normalizing or minimizing harmful behaviors because of the complexity of abuse dynamics," says Yolanda Renteria, LPC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men in the United States have experienced some form of intimate partner violence during their lifetime.
The CDC also notes that approximately 20% of homicides are committed by intimate partners and that over 50% of the women murdered in the United States are killed by current or former male partners.
This article explores the types, signs, causes, and impact of intimate partner violence.
Intimate partner violence can take many different forms, which can include:
•Sexual abuse: Forcing an intimate partner to participate in a sex act without their explicit consent. Sexual abuse also includes any sexual contact between an adult and a partner who is below the age of 18.
•Physical abuse: Hurting or attempting to hurt someone by punching, kicking, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, burning, strangling, grabbing, choking, or shoving them. Physical abuse also includes actions such as throwing things, banging doors, or punching walls.
•Emotional abuse: Undermining the person’s self-worth by criticizing them constantly, gaslighting them, calling them names, isolating them from their family and friends, monitoring their activities, and trying to prevent them from working or doing things they enjoy.
•Psychological abuse: Terrorizing the person, playing mind games with them, or threatening to harm them or their loved ones.
•Financial abuse: Maintaining control over joint finances, withholding access to money, and tracking the person’s spending. Financial abuse also includes preventing an intimate partner from working, studying, or taking other steps to become financially independent.
These are some of the indications that someone is a victim of intimate partner violence:
•Being agitated or visibly upset
•Displaying drastic or sudden changes in behavior
•Becoming unresponsive and withdrawing into themselves
•Displaying changes in personality such as lower self-esteem and confidence
•Always checking in with their partner
These are some of the factors that can lead to intimate partner violence, according to a 2018 study:
•Cultural factors: Historically, many cultures have granted men a sense of ownership when it comes to women, allowing them to chastise or beat women if they deem necessary. In intimate relationships particularly, men were considered the custodians of women’s sexuality and the family’s honor, therefore any acts by a woman that were perceived as violating this sense of honor were considered punishable.
•Social factors: Victims are often blamed for being abused, which can make it hard for others to speak up about being abused. Furthermore, women’s voices continue to be underrepresented in media, politics, the judicial system, and other positions of power.
•Legal factors: Police and other law enforcement agencies sometimes hesitate to intervene and help victims of intimate partner violence, and it is often considered to be a private family matter. Abusive partners are allowed more leniency than strangers who have committed similar crimes.
•Economic factors: Lower economic status is linked to a greater risk of intimate partner violence.
•Environmental factors: Growing up in an abusive environment and having witnessed or experienced domestic abuse can make someone more likely to be abusive toward their intimate partners. This phenomenon is known as the cycle of abuse.
Intimate partner violence can cause physical and psychological damage that persists long after the abuse ends.
These are some of the effects of intimate partner violence:
•Injuries, which can be serious or fatal in some cases
•Hearing or vision loss
•Lasting physical damage
•Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Intimate partner violence is a major issue not just in the United States but around the world. It can be traumatic to experience and cause long-lasting physical and psychological damage—or even lead to death.
It’s important to identify intimate partner violence and take steps to prevent it because the victims are our family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. While we may stereotype victims of intimate partner violence, it’s important to remember that anyone can be a victim, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, race, faith, or class.
10 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing intimate partner violence.
2.United Nations. What is domestic abuse?
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence by a current or former spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. IPV can take a number of forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic and sexual abuse.
Feb 15, 2021 · Domestic violence is sometimes called intimate partner violence. It includes physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, as well as sexual coercion and stalking by a current or former intimate partner. 1 An intimate partner is a person with whom you have or had a close personal or sexual relationship.
Oct 29, 2012 · Intimate partner violence occurs across age, ethnic, gender, and economic lines, among persons with disabilities, and among both heterosexual and same-sex couples. Facts from psychological research. Your risk of experiencing intimate partner violence increases if you are: Poor; Less educated; An adolescent or a young adult; Female
Intimate partner violence refers to behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours. This definition covers violence by both current and former spouses and partners.
