Psychosocial Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence for Women and Men in Canada

Abstract

Although the negative health consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) are well documented, most research has conceptualized IPV as a unitary construct and has primarily focused on the impact of physical violence. However, recent theoretical and empirical work suggests that IPV may be heterogeneous, with different consequences associated with different patterns of violence, abuse, and control. This study used latent class analysis to examine the psychosocial consequences associated with different patterns of physical violence, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behavior. Data from 676 women and 455 men who were interviewed for the 2004 Canadian General Social Survey on Victimization were analyzed. The results suggest that experiencing any pattern of violence is associated with a range of negative psychosocial outcomes for both women and men. However, they also show the increasingly negative impact and perceived dangerousness of IPV for those experiencing more severe and chronic patterns of violence and control. These findings were particularly pronounced for women as they experienced the most chronic pattern of abuse and control documented in the study. The psychosocial consequences were also greater for women than for men with similar experiences of IPV. These results suggest that the psychosocial impact of IPV is influenced by gender and by the nature of the violence, abuse, and control experienced.

Keywords

battered women mental health and violence violence exposure

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ansara, D.L. , & Hindin, M.J. (in press). Exploring gender differences in the patterns of intimate partner violence in Canada: a latent class approach. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Bohn, D.K. , & Holz, K.A. ( 1996). Sequelae of abuse: Health effects of child hood sexual abuse, domestic battering, and rape. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery , 41, 442-456.

Coker, A.L. , Smith, P.H. , Bethea, L. , King, M.R. , & McKeown, R.E. ( 2000). Physical health consequences of physical and psychological intimate partner violence. Archives of Family Medicine, 9, 451-457.

Cripe, S.M. , Sanchez, S.E. , Perales, M.T. , Lam, N. , Garcia, P. , & Williams, M.A. (2008). Association of intimate partner physical and sexual violence with unintended pregnancy among pregnant women in Peru. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics , 100(2), 104-108.

Danielsson, U. , Bengs, C. , Lehti, A. , Hammarström, A. , & Johansson, E.E. (2009). Struck by lightning or slowly suffocating-Gendered trajectories into depression. BMC Family Practice, 10, s. 56.

Ellsberg, M. , Jansen, H.A. , Heise, L. , Watts, C.H. , & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2008). Intimate partner violence and women’s physical and mental health in the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence: An observational study. Lancet, 371, 1165-1172.

Emslie, C. , Ridge, D. , Ziebland, S. , & Hunt, K. ( 2006). Men’s accounts of depression: Reconstructing or resisting hegemonic masculinity? Social Science & Medicine , 62, 2246-2257.

Garcia-Moreno, C. , Jansen, H.A. , Ellsberg, M. , Heise, L. , & Watts, C.H. ( 2006). Prevalence of intimate partner violence: Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence . Lancet, 368, 1260-1269.

Golding, J.M. ( 1999). Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Violence, 14, 99-132.

10.

Graham-Kevan, N. , & Archer, J. ( 2003). Intimate terrorism and common couple violence: A test of Johnson’s predictions in four British samples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18, 1247-1270.

11.

Heise, L. , & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2002). Violence by intimate partners. In E. G. Krug , L. L. Dahlberg , J. A. Mercy , A. B. Zwi , & R. Lozano (Eds.), World report on violence and health (pp. 87-121). Geneva: World Health Organization.

12.

Hindin, M.J. , Kishor, S. , & Ansara, D.L. ( 2008). Intimate partner violence among couples in 10 DHS countries: Predictors and health outcomes (DHS Analytical Studies No. 18). Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

13.

Jewkes, R. , Sen, P. , & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2002). Sexual violence. In E. G. Krug , L. L. Dahlberg , J. A. Mercy , A. B. Zwi , & R. Lozano (Eds.), World report on violence and health (pp. 147-181). Geneva: World Health Organization.

14.

Johnson, M.P. ( 1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283-294.

15.

Johnson, M.P. ( 2008). A typology of domestic violence: Intimate terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence. Boston : Northeastern University Press.

16.

Johnson, M.P. , & Ferraro, K.J. ( 2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions . Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 948-963.

17.

Johnson, M.P. , & Leone, J.M. ( 2005). The differential effects of intimate terrorism and situational couple violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey . Journal of Family Issues, 26, 322-349.

18.

Johnson, P.J. , & Hellerstedt, W.L. (2002). Current or past physical or sexual abuse as a risk marker for sexually transmitted disease in pregnant women. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34(2), 62-67.

19.

Leone, J.M. , Johnson, M.P. , Cohan, C.L. , & Lloyd, S.E. ( 2004). Consequences of male partner violence for low-income minority women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66, 472-490.

20.

Maman, S. , Campbell, J. , Sweat, M.D. , & Gielen, A.C. ( 2000). The intersections of HIV and violence: Directions for future research and interventions. Social Science & Medicine , 50, 459-478.

21.

Muthén, L.K. , & Muthén, B.O. (1998-2007). Mplus user’s guide (fifth ed.). Los Angeles : Author.

22.

O’Brien, R. , Hunt, K. , & Hart, G. ( 2005). "It’s caveman stuff, but that is to a certain extent how guys still operate": Men’s accounts of masculinity and help seeking . Social Science & Medicine, 61, 503-516.

23.

Pottie Bunge, V. ( 2002). National trends in intimate partner homicides, 1974-2000 . Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

24.

Silverman, J.G. , Decker, M.R. , Reed, E. , & Raj, A. ( 2006). Intimate partner violence victimization prior to and during pregnancy among women residing in 26 U.S. states: Associations with maternal and neonatal health. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 195, 140-148.

25.

Stark, E. ( 2007). Coercive control: The entrapment of women in personal life. New York: Oxford University Press.

26.

Statistics Canada. (2005). General Social Survey Cycle 18: Victimization (2004). User’s guide to the Public Use Microdata File. Ottawa, Ontario , Canada: Author.

27.

Straus, M.A. ( 1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75-88.

28.

Vos, T. , Astbury, J. , Piers, L.S. , Magnus, A. , Heenan, M. , Stanley, L. , et al. (2006). Measuring the impact of intimate partner violence on the health of women in Victoria, Australia. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84, 739-744.

29.

World Health Assembly. (1996). Prevention of violence: A public health priority (WHA49.25). Geneva: World Health Organization.

30.

World Health Organization. (1997). Violence against women: A priority health issue. Geneva : Women’s health and development programme, World Health Organization.