Intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence is common, costly, and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Research over a period of several decades has revealed the short- and long-term effects of violence on the physical and mental health and social well-being of affected persons and their children. The health care system plays a central role in education about and prevention of intimate partner violence, as well as in identification of affected persons, intervention, and recovery. The system also has contributed to the crafting of social and legislative policies related to intimate partner violence. Such violence is more prevalent during a woman’s lifetime than conditions such as diabetes, depression, or breast cancer, yet it often remains unrecognized by health professionals. This review focuses on women as the victims of partner violence because the prevalence of serious consequences of violence is higher among women than among men, serious injury is more likely for women, and research has shown both the health consequences of violence by a partner and the value of interventions, particularly among women of reproductive age.