Intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence by a spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. Intimate violence can take a number of forms including physical, verbal, emotional, economic and sexual abuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines intimate partner violence as "... any behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to those in the relationship, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviors."

The most extreme form of such violence may be termed intimate terrorism, coercive controlling violence, or simply coercive control, which is where one person is violent and controlling; this is generally perpetrated by men against women, and is the most likely of the types to require medical services and the use of a women's shelter. Subsequently, resistance to intimate terrorism, which is a form of self-defense and may be termed violent resistance, is usually conducted by women. Some evidence, which addresses domestic violence against men, suggests that men are more reluctant to report domestic violence committed against them by their female intimate partners.

The most common but less injurious form of intimate partner violence is "situational couple violence" (also known as "situational violence"), which is conducted by individuals of both genders nearly equally, and is likelier to occur among younger couples, such as adolescents (see teen dating violence) and those of college age. When both partners in the relationship engage in controlling and violent behavior, it is called "mutual violent control".

Intimate partner violence occurs between two people in an intimate relationship. It may occur between heterosexual or homosexual couples and victims can be male or female. Couples may be dating, cohabiting or married and violence can occur in or outside of the home.

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