Prevalence of Physical Violence in Intimate Relationships, Part 1: Rates of Male and Female Victimization

• Published in: Partner abuse 2012, Vol.3 (2), p.140-169
• Main Authors: Desmarais, Sarah L., Reeves, Kim A., Nicholls, Tonia L., Telford, Robin P., Fiebert, Martin S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abusive relationships; Behavioral Sciences; Conflict; Counseling; Females; Heterosexuality; Intimate relationships; Knowledge; Males; Marriage and Family Counselling; Measurement; Methodological Problems; Policy, Social Justice, and Human Rights; Prevalence; Social Work; Theory, Practice, and Skills; Victimization; Victims; Violence
• ISSN: 1946-6560; 1946-6579
• DOI: 10.1891/1946-6560.3.2.140

Physical violence in intimate relationships affects men, women, and families worldwide. Although the body of research examining the experiences of male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) has grown, there have been few attempts to synthesize, compare, and contrast findings regarding the prevalence of male and female victimization. We examined research published in the last 10 years to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the prevalence of physical IPV victimization in heterosexual relationships. Our specific aims were to (a) describe the prevalence of physical IPV victimization in industrialized, English-speaking nations; and (b) explore study and sample characteristics that affect prevalence. Literature searches undertaken in three databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) identified 750 articles published between 2000 and 2010. We included 249 articles that reported 543 rates of physical IPV victimization in our review: 158 articles reported 318 rates for women, 6 articles reported 8 rates for men, and 85 articles reported 217 rates for both men and women. Most studies were conducted in the United States (k = 213, 85.5%) and almost half (k = 118, 47.4%) measured IPV using a Conflict Tactics Scale-based approach. Unweighted, pooled prevalence estimates were calculated for female and male victimization overall and by sample type, country, measurement time frame, and measurement approach. Across studies, approximately 1 in 4 women (23.1%) and 1 in 5 men (19.3%) experienced physical violence in an intimate relationship, with an overall pooled prevalence estimate of 22.4%. Analyses revealed considerable variability in rates as a function of methodological issues, indicating the need for standardized measurement of IPV.