ABSTRACT
Research indicates that intimate partner violence (IPV) affects an estimated 3 to 4 million women yearly (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2001; Plitchta & Falik, 2001). Additionally, studies demonstrate that individuals who have been victims of domestic violence are at greater risk of future violence (Kuijpers, vad der Knaap, & Winkel, 2012), especially among those who have been more severely abused. In 2007, there were 2,340 deaths due to domestic violence, accounting for 14% of all homicides (CDC, 2012a). An 11 city study of intimate partner femicide found that the majority (67%–80%) involved physical abuse prior to the murder (Campbell et al., 2003; Glass et al., 2004). The societal and individual costs of this violence are enormous, reaching an estimated $67 billion per year (Miller, Cohen, & Wiersema, 1996) with mental healthcare costs being the largest proportion of the increased healthcare expenditures associated with intimate partner violence (Wisner, Gilmer, Saltzman, & Zink, 1999). Adding to the costs of intimate partner violence, research has found that approximately 3 to 10 million children live in domestically violent households (Socolar, 2000). Approximately 9% of teenagers nationwide report being physically hurt by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the past 12 months (CDC, 2012b). While this number is certainly shocking, it represents a slight decrease from 2008 when approximately 10% of teenagers nationwide reported being physically abused by their boyfriend or girlfriend over the same time period (CDC, 2008).
