Impact of Domestic Violence on Health

The report presents the first global systematic review of scientific data on the prevalence of two forms of violence against women: violence by an intimate partner (intimate partner violence) and sexual violence by someone other than a partner (non-partner sexual violence). It shows, for the first time, global and regional estimates of the prevalence of these two forms of violence, using data from around the world.

NISVS is an ongoing, nationally representative random digit dial telephone survey that collects information about experiences of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence among non-institutionalized English and/or Spanish-speaking women and men aged 18 or older in the United States. NISVS provides detailed information on the magnitude and characteristics of these forms of violence for the nation and for individual states.

This page highlights research on the link between past and recent abuse with poorer HIV treatment access and outcomes for women.

The Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs) covered in this fact sheet include: Overweight and Obesity, Tobacco Use, Substance Abuse, Responsible Sexual Behavior, Mental Health, Injury and Violence, Immunization, and Access to Health Care. The LHIs includes a total of ten health indicators and were listed by the US Department of Health and Human Services to measure the health and well-being of the nation for this decade.

Report findings document the prevalence of intimate partner violence and its association with women's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Data is included on non-partner violence, sexual abuse during childhood and forced first sexual experience. Information is also provided on women's responses. Available in English, French, and Spanish.

This report indicates that persons who report having experienced IPV in their lifetimes also are more likely to report current adverse health conditions and health risk behaviors, underscoring the need for IPV assessment in healthcare settings. Additionally, the results indicate a need for secondary intervention strategies to address the health-related needs of IPV survivors and reduce their risk for subsequent adverse health conditions and health risk behaviors.

This article provides guidance around what to look for when screening patients for abuse in a clinical setting, including detailed descriptions of characteristic physical injuries.

This document provides information and relevant resources for the early detection of TBI among domestic violence survivors. It also offers an analysis of the intersection between brain injury and domestic violence as well as other relevant information.

This study reveals that victims of intimate partner violence are likely to suffer certain types of fractures around the eye or upper face, which differ from facial injuries sustained by other types of assaults or accidents. These results, in conjunction with other presenting circumstances, such as delay in presentation, can assist the surgeon treating patients with maxillofacial injury in recognizing intimate partner violence.

This article reviews available research exploring the link between histories of physical and sexual abuse in childhood and IPV victimization in adulthood.

This document provides a brief review of the available research documenting the prevalence of lifetime abuse among women receiving mental health services.

In this keynote, Ellen Tallaferro suggests that women who experience violence are likely to visit health care providers more frequently for physical and mental health problems and highlights the important role of health care providers in responding to intimate partner violence by identifying, documenting, making provision for safety, referral, and assurance to women who have been abused.

This document provides an introduction to basic prevention concepts by exploring the public health approach, two classification systems, a planning tool used to develop more comprehensive initiatives, and the importance of understanding terminology. It addresses the topics of women's health, mental health and substance abuse, family planning, STIs and HIV, perinatal programs, breastfeeding, child and adolescent health, and injury and violence prevention.

This document provides an overview of the research on the relationship between substance abuse and woman battering, covering the victim's use of substances and the specific needs for domestic violence services for those with substance abuse problems.

On this webinar, Dr. Michele Decker discussed the link between dating/domestic violence and women's exposure to HIV. Ways to raise awareness, decrease stigma and increase services for HIV+ women were shared for crisis counselors, domestic violence victim advocates and shelter managers.

This Applied Research paper provides research findings concerning violence against pregnant and postpartum women, discusses some of the strengths and limitations of these studies, and concludes with comments concerning the implications of this work for practice and research.

This Applied Research paper provides a brief overview of research on the impact of sexual violence on females’ high-risk health behaviors and reproductive health, focusing on studies of sexual assault or rape experienced primarily during adulthood.

Violence limits young women's ability to manage their reproductive health and exposes them to sexually transmitted diseases. This fact sheet outlines ways that violence affects reproductive health and impacts risky sexual behaviors.

This report shows that adolescents who have experienced interpersonal violence are at a higher risk of teen pregnancy. The report recommends strategies to prevent adolescent pregnancy as well as to support pregnant and parenting adolescents, their partners, and children.

This page highlights findings from a groundbreaking study examining the relationship between intimate partner violence, reproductive coercion, and unintended pregnancy.

This page highlights findings from the first national survey to measure the extent of reproductive coercion experienced by callers to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.