Intimate partner violence ( ipv ) perpetrators : what the research suggests research brief

How do we define IPV? IPV includes physical violence, emotional abuse, stalking, coercion, or rape within intimate or formerly intimate relationships, including dating relationships. People who commit this type of violence are commonly referred to as “batterers,” “spouse abusers,” or “wife beaters.” IPV occurs within all forms of intimate relationships, including dating, cohabitating, marital, and former relationships. IPV “perpetrator” and “victim” roles are not clear cut. Not all IPV perpetrators are male, and IPV occurs in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships. It is unknown whether power and control struggles that drive domestic violence differ between same-sex relationships and heterosexual relationships; coercive tactics in same-sex relationships may differ. Perpetrators can also be victims in their current or past relationships, and vice versa. How frequently does IPV occur? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 35.6% of women and 28.5% of men are physically assaulted, raped, or stalked. Women and men reported more similar rates of emotional abuse by a partner in their lifetime: 48.4% of women versus 48.8% of men.1 When accounting for factors such as fear, concern for safety, trauma symptoms, need for health care, injury, and missing work, IPV appears to have an overall greater impact on women than men.2