Psychological and Physical Intimate Partner Violence, Measured by the New York City Community Health Survey - New York City, 2018

Karen A Alroy; Amy Wang; Michael Sanderson; L Hannah Gould; Catherine Stayton

doi:10.1007/s10896-022-00442-1

Psychological and Physical Intimate Partner Violence, Measured by the New York City Community Health Survey - New York City, 2018

J Fam Violence. 2022 Sep 26:1-12. doi: 10.1007/s10896-022-00442-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Karen A Alroy^{1

2}, Amy Wang³, Michael Sanderson², L Hannah Gould², Catherine Stayton³

Affiliations

¹ Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA USA.
² Bureau of Epidemiology Services, Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, NY USA.
³ Bureau of Environmental Disease and Injury Prevention, Division of Environmental Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, NY USA.

Abstract

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) can damage long-term physical and mental health, yet IPV prevalence in New York City (NYC) is unknown. We described prevalence and health correlates of psychological and physical IPV in NYC.

Method: The 2018 NYC Community Health Survey, a representative telephone survey among adult residents, asked about lifetime psychological or physical IPV experiences. We estimated age-adjusted physical and psychological prevalence, stratified by demographic variables, and created log-linear multivariable models with 95% CIs to measure the association of each IPV type with health conditions and behaviors.

Results: Overall, 10,076 surveys were completed. We excluded responses with missing IPV values. Of 9,945 adults, 16.7% reported ever having experienced psychological IPV; higher prevalence among females (18.6%; CI:17.0-20.2) than males (14.5%; CI:13.1-16.2). Prevalence of not getting needed mental health treatment (PR: 4.5; CI:3.3-6.1) and current depression (PR:2.6 CI:2.1-3.1) was higher among adults who had ever experienced psychological IPV, compared with those who had not. Of 9,964 adults, 9.8% reported ever having experienced physical IPV; higher prevalence among females (12.4%; CI:11.1-13.8) than males (6.8%; CI:5.8-8.0). Prevalence of not getting needed mental health treatment (PR:3.9, CI:2.8-5.4) and current depression (PR:2.6, CI:2.1-3.2) was higher among adults who had ever experienced physical IPV, compared with those who had not.

Conclusions: One in six (16.7%) and one in 10 (9.8%) NYC adults reported ever experiencing psychological IPV and ever experiencing physical IPV, respectively. Key implications suggest that IPV potentially underlies public health priority health conditions and behaviors.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10896-022-00442-1.

Keywords: Abuse; IPV; Intimate partner violence; New York City; Physical intimate partner violence; Population health; Psychological aggression.