Intimate Partner Violence Essay

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Introduction to Intimate Partner Violence Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a tremendously serious social and public health problem. Progression of intimate partner violence can lead to morbidity or mortality and affect various types of relationships. An intimate partner is one that is described by frequent contact, identifying as a couple, emotional bonding, and regular physical and/or sexual contact. A few examples of intimate partners includes dating partners, spouses, girlfriends or boyfriends, and sexual partners. Violence within these intimate relationships can be psychological, physical, or sexual and present in heterosexual relationships, homosexual relationships, and to disabled partners in relationships. Psychological violence is a mental and emotional aspect of violence affecting the way individuals think. These psychological violent acts within an intimate relationship can Some examples of physical violence are biting, choking, slapping, burning, punching, shaking or shoving, aggressive hair pulling, scratching, using body strength as a restraint, and coercing the other partner to physically harm someone else. Sexual violence in intimate relationships however, consists of rape, and unwanted sexual contact. According to authors Wandera, Kwagala, Ndugga, and Kabagenyi, sexual violent acts leads to reproductive health outcomes such as “heightened risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, gynecological and sexual disorders, pregnancy complications, miscarriages and low birth weight” (2015). Ultimately, these psychological, physical, and sexual acts of violence are present in various intimate relationships. Intimate partner sexual violence is wide spreading in heterosexual relationships, homosexual relationships, and even to disabled partners within

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