Historically called domestic violence, intimate partner violence describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. Types of intimate partner violence include physical violence, sexual violence, threats of physical or sexual violence, psychological/emotional violence, and stalking.
Violence by an intimate partner is linked to both immediate and long-term health, social, and economic consequences. Factors at all levels — individual, relationship, community, and societal — contribute to intimate partner violence. This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples.
Preventing intimate partner violence requires reaching a clear understanding of those factors, coordinating resources, and fostering and initiating change in individuals, families, and society.
Recent Publications
- Examining the Black Box: A Formative and Evaluability Assessment of Cross-Sectoral Approaches for Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence
- It's Not all or Nothing: Women's Differential Use of Help-Seeking Strategies in Response to Intimate Partner Violence
- Assessing the Impact of an Innovative Response to Intimate Partner Violence Related Strangulation, Process Evaluation