Intimate Partner Abuse Worldwide

What is it about?

The article reports on an exhaustive literature review of intimate partner abuse outside of the United States, and includes information on prevalence rates of physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as risk factors and the impact of partner abuse on victims. The article compares these findings to those from the United States, and concludes that while female victimization rates for all forms of abuse are generally greater than those of male victims, victimization rates are comparable across gender in many countries. There is mixed evidence regarding the relative importance of social and other factors. Patriarchal factors appear to be more relevant outside the U.S. , but attitudes supportive of violence are relevant everywhere, and other risk factors (e.g., low income, aggressive personality, substance abuse) explain both male and female-perpetrated abuse.

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Why is it important?

In most countries, laws against domestic violence are either nonexistent, or rarely enforced, and those countries lack sufficient resources with which to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. Treatment programs are few and far between. This, the most recent, comprehensive review of intimate partner abuse worldwide, is intended to provide a research base for effective, evidence-based programming.

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