22 - Intimate Partner Violence: Aggression at Close Quarters

Summary

This chapter provides an overview of the epidemiology and health-related consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a violent IPV episode as a single violent act or series of acts perceived to be related that occur over a given period of time. The National Family Violence Survey (NFVS), conducted in 1975, was the first national survey of IPV in the United States. Asian/Pacific Island women had lower lifetime prevalence of physical assault than white women. Similar trends were observed across race/ethnicity for the lifetime prevalence of IPV in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Health care professionals, especially primary care providers and emergency room physicians, are often in a unique position to identify and connect victims of IPV with resources that can facilitate treatment and address safety.