How to recognize intimate partner violence

There are discrete patterns and dynamics that characterize intimate partner violence. Here’s what to look for.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of Americans every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced some form of sexual or physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.

National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 hotline (languages: English, Spanish, and 200+ through interpretation service): 800-799-SAFE (7233) or via SMS—text START to 88788

While both men and women can be victims of IPV, women are more likely to sustain serious injuries and be killed by men. Often red flags appear well before the violence starts.

“I hear very rarely about incidents of physical and sexual violence where the exertion of power and control didn’t come first,” says Catherine Cerulli, director of both the University of Rochester’s Susan B. Anthony Center and the Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization.

“As the level of severity increases toward physical and sexual violence, it’s almost always accompanied or preceded by emotional abuse, where the abuser tries to control the victim’s time and resources.”

IPV may also manifest as economic abuse. Cerulli has had clients who had to call their abusers from the grocery store to obtain permission to buy themselves feminine hygiene products. Others have had their social service benefits for housing and food taken away by their abuser.

Economic abuse may also include interfering with a person’s ability to earn an income or hold down a job. For example, a perpetrator may engage in behavior to try to get the victim fired, showing up at the workplace to call, harass, annoy, or alarm—not just them but their coworkers as well.

Here, Cerulli offers clear definitions and explanations of IPV:

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