Intimate Partner Violence and Adverse Health Consequences: Implications for Clinicians

Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 13 men experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at some time in their life. Victims of IPV suffer significant negative health consequences because of the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse they have experienced. Elevated risks have been observed for a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Research has substantially improved our understanding of the physiology that underlies the association between violence victimization and an array of adverse health outcomes. Given the high prevalence of IPV and the associated medical consequences and costs of IPV, it is critical to address this public health problem. IPV prevention and intervention can substantially decrease the public health burden of IPV and greatly improve the health of patients being seen in the medical system. Primary care and family physicians are in an ideal position to diagnose victims of IPV and provide the victims and their families the appropriate care that is needed. However, to accomplish this goal, there remains an urgent need to integrate information on IPV into medical and health care curricula, and to train future physicians and other health care providers about the pervasiveness of IPV and the far-reaching implications for patient health.