Table 1.

Health Problems Associated with Intimate Partner Violence

Impact on Victim13,14Associated with the following:

  • Poor pregnancy outcomes

  • Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide

  • Increased risk for job loss

  • Increased mortality

  • Chronic pain

  • Neurologic symptoms (fainting, seizures)

  • Gastrointestinal symptoms (eating disorders, irritable bowels)

  • High blood pressure

  • Gynecologic problems (pelvic pain, sexually transmitted diseases)

Impact on Children Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence at Home15,16,17,18Associated with the following:

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Substance problems as adults

  • Risky sexual behavior amongst adolescent girls

  • Poor school performance

  • Emotional and behavioral problems

  • Poor overall health as adult (ACE studies)

  • Somatic complaints such as headaches, sleep problems, stomach aches

  • Boys may be violent as adults and girls may not question violence used against them as adults

Impact on Perpetrator19,20,21,28Associated with the following:

  • Regret and depression

  • Poor job performance

  • Incarceration and other legal problems

  • Divorce and separation from family

  • Physical injuries

  • Substance abuse

  • Psychiatric disease

  • High-risk sexual behavior

  • Insomnia

  • Digestive problems

  • ACE, adverse childhood experiences.