Citation

Carpenter RK, Stinson JD. Partner Abuse 2022; 13(4): 475-501.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Springer Publishing)

DOI

10.1891/PA-2021-0029

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs across the lifespan, yet younger partners are targeted with greater frequency than older adults. Additionally, involvement in increasingly intimate relationships corresponds with more frequent and serious forms of assault. The current study examined rates and seriousness of IPV assaults as a function of age and type of relationship. Data were obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's online incident-based reporting system (N = 86,755). Logistic regression analyses confirmed that younger individuals demonstrated higher rates of IPV overall, and the majority of IPV sexual assaults occurred among those under 18. Boyfriend/girlfriend relationships demonstrated high rates of several assault categories, stranger, and acquaintance relationships illustrated more serious assaults than hypothesized, and LGBTQIA relationships illustrated relatively low reporting rates. Thus, IPV risk does vary across different age cohorts and relationship types. Possible legal implications and prevention strategies are discussed.

Language: en