@article{ref1,
title="Intimate partner violence in older women",
journal="Gerontologist",
year="2007",
author="Bonomi, Amy E. and Anderson, Melissa L. and Reid, Robert J. and Carrell, David and Fishman, Paul A. and Rivara, Frederick P. and Thompson, Robert S.",
volume="47",
number="1",
pages="34-41",
abstract="Purpose: We describe the prevalence, types, dura- tion, frequency, and severity of intimate partner vio- lence (''partner violence'') in older women. Design and Methods: We randomly sampled a total of 370 English-speaking women (65 years of age and older) from a health care system to participate in a cross- sectional telephone interview. Using 5 questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and 10 questions from the Women's Experience with Battering (WEB) Scale, we assessed a woman's exposure to partner violence. We estimated lifetime partner violence prevalence using the BRFSS questions (physical, forced intercourse, forced sexual contact, verbal threats, and controlling behavior), and we estimated past-5-year and past-year prevalence using the BRFSS and the WEB Scale. We estimated violence frequency, duration, and severity using the BRFSS questions. Results: According to the BRFSS, lifetime partner violence prevalence was 26.5%; 18.4% of women experienced physical or sexual violence and 21.9% experienced nonphysical violence (threats or controlling behavior). According to the BRFSS and WEB Scale, past-5-year violence prevalence was 3.5%, and past-year violence prevalence was 2.2%. Many abused women reported more than 20 episodes of violence in their lifetime (from 18.1% for physical violence to 61.2% for controlling behavior). The median duration ranged from 3 years (forced sexual contact) to 10 years (controlling behavior). The proportion of abused women rating their abuse as severe ranged from 39.1% (forced sex or sexual contact) to 70.7% (threats). Implications: The high lifetime partner violence occurrence, frequency, dura- tion, and severity, coupled with results from prior studies indicating long-term adverse health effects of partner violence, suggest a need for increased efforts to address partner violence in older women.Key Words: Domestic violence, Intimate partner violence, Prevalence, Assessment, Women<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0016-9013",
doi="10.1093/geront/47.1.34",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/47.1.34"
}