Intimate Partner Violence

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a type of abuse that occurs between people who are involved in a close relationship. “Intimate partner” is a term that is used to include both current and former spouses as well as dating partners. IPV exists along a continuum that ranges from a single episode of violence through ongoing battering. Incidents of IPV are known to include four basic types of behavior, including: Physical abuse, which is when a person either hurts or attempts to hurt their partner by physical force. Sexual abuse is the forcing of an intimate partner to take part in a sexual act without the consent of that partner. Emotional abuse is the act of threatening a partner, his or her possessions or loved ones, or the harming of a partner’s sense of self-worth. Examples of emotional abuse include; stalking, name calling, intimidation, or not letting a partner see friends and family ("Understanding intimate partner," 2006). What the research says about IPV and Hispanic/Latina women? Research has suggested that IPV is a significant concern amongst the Latina population. A recent National Violence Against Women Survey reports that 21.2% of Hispanic/Latina women reported physical assault and 7.9% reported being raped by an intimate partner at some time in their life, this is a total of 29.1% of this population experiencing IPV. This number is significantly more than that of the national average of 25% (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). The understanding of IPV and the Hispanic/Latino population is unfortunately limited, and becomes more limited in its ability to understand the experiences of Latina subgroups such as seasonal migrant workers. Immigration is accompanied by numerous stresses and challenges that may increase the ris... ... middle of paper ... ...er, E., Ang, A., Nevarez, F., & Mangione, C. M. (2008). Intimate partner violence, depression, and PTSD among pregnant Latina women. Annals of Family Medicine, 6(1), 44-52. doi:10.1370/afm.743 Smith, P. H., Thornton, G. E., DeVellis, R., Earp, J., & Coker, A. L. (2002). A population-based study of the prevalence and distinctiveness of battering, physical assault, and sexual assault in intimate relationships. Violence Against Women, 8, 1208-1232. Tjaden, P., Thoennes, N. (2000b). Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Van Hightower, N. R., Gorton, J. & DeMoss, C. L. (2000). Predictive models of domestic violence and fear of intimate partners among migrant and seasonal farm worker women. Journal of Family Violence, 15,137-154.

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