An Exploratory Investigation: Post-disaster Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence

Disaster significantly increases the prevalence and severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, with empirical evidence suggesting a decrease in access to social services and social networks available post disaster. This study examines the compounded vulnerability of IPV victims post-disaster by identifying the predictors of IPV and the perceived level of social and emotional support of IPV victims after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Using a sample size of 29,480, data for the study was derived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Gulf States Population Survey. A binary logistic regression analysis indicated that: (1) Respondents directly impacted by the oil spill were about twice as likely to experience both physical and emotional IPV; (2) Respondents who experienced both emotional and physical IPV were 5 times more likely to feel they rarely or never received the social and emotional support they needed post-disaster. Victims of disaster experiencing IPV exhibit an increased vulnerability and a particular set of needs. There is currently a gap between these unique needs and resources available to IPV victims during and post-disasters.