Introduction
Research Questions
- How common is intimate partner violence in healthy relationship program target populations?
- What frequency and forms of intimate partner violence do healthy relationship program participants experience?
This report explores the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the populations served by four ACF-funded healthy relationship programs. It describes experiences of IPV, the co-occurrence of physical and emotional abuse, and the annual frequency of IPV.
This study found that physical IPV incidents were prevalent among the healthy relationship program participants studied. For participants who experienced IPV, abuse could occur multiple times, and participants often experienced multiple types of abuse. These findings suggest that healthy relationship program staff can likely expect participants to have experienced domestic violence and may consider involving domestic violence professionals to enhance their ability to address participants’ needs.
Purpose
Considering the experiences of intimate partner violence among healthy relationship program participants is crucial to protecting their safety and facilitating appropriate services and referrals. This report summarizes research on intimate partner violence in four healthy relationship programs’ populations so that practitioners can better understand the experiences of program participants and support their unique needs.
This is the first of four reports from the Responding to Intimate Violence in Relationship Programs (RIViR) project.
Key Findings and Highlights
This report found that among adults in healthy relationship program target populations:
- High rates of IPV were prevalent
- Abusive incidents were typically repeated
- Those who experienced IPV often experienced multiple forms, such as emotional and physical abuse
- Experiences of IPV differed by sex
Methods
To better understand IPV in healthy relationship program target populations, the study team analyzed data on IPV from four large-scale studies of populations served by ACF-funded healthy relationship programs.
Recommendations
Healthy relationship program staff can expect many program participants to have experienced domestic violence. They may want to consider partnering with domestic violence prevention programs to develop referral protocols.
Glossary
- Domestic violence program: Domestic violence programs are community-based service organizations that provide a wide range of direct services for people experiencing domestic violence.
- Healthy relationship program: A healthy relationship program implements healthy marriage and relationship education and related activities.
- Intimate partner violence: Physical, sexual, or psychological harm, or reproductive coercion by a spouse, partner, or former partner.
Citation
McKay, T., Cohen, J., Kan, M., Bir, A., Grove, L., and Cutbush, S. (2016). Prevalence and Experiences: Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence and Experiences Among Healthy Relationship Program Target Populations, OPRE Report #2016-40, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.