Differences in Frequency of Violence and Reported Injury Between Relationships With Reciprocal and Nonreciprocal Intimate Partner Violence
Daniel J. Whitaker, PhD,
Tadesse Haileyesus, MS,
Monica Swahn, PhD and
Linda S. Saltzman, PhD
At the time of this study, Daniel J. Whitaker and Linda S. Saltzman were with the Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga. Tadesse Haileyesus is with the Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Monica Swahn is with the Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Daniel Whitaker, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, MS K-60, Atlanta, GA 30341 (e-mail: dpw7{at}cdc.gov).
Objectives. We sought to examine the prevalence of reciprocal(i.e., perpetrated by both partners) and nonreciprocal intimatepartner violence and to determine whether reciprocity is relatedto violence frequency and injury.
Methods. We analyzed data on young US adults aged 18 to 28 yearsfrom the 2001 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health,which contained information about partner violence and injuryreported by 11 370 respondents on 18761 heterosexual relationships.
Results. Almost 24% of all relationships had some violence,and half (49.7%) of those were reciprocally violent. In nonreciprocallyviolent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than70% of the cases. Reciprocity was associated with more frequentviolence among women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.3; 95% confidenceinterval [CI]=1.9, 2.8), but not men (AOR=1.26; 95% CI=0.9,1.7). Regarding injury, men were more likely to inflict injurythan were women (AOR=1.3; 95% CI=1.1, 1.5), and reciprocal intimatepartner violence was associated with greater injury than wasnonreciprocal intimate partner violence regardless of the genderof the perpetrator (AOR=4.4; 95% CI=3.6, 5.5).
Conclusions. The context of the violence (reciprocal vs nonreciprocal)is a strong predictor of reported injury. Prevention approachesthat address the escalation of partner violence may be neededto address reciprocal violence.
This article has been cited by other articles:
M. Russell, M.-J. Chen, T. H. Nochajski, M. Testa, S. J. Zimmerman, and P. S. Hughes Risky Sexual Behavior, Bleeding Caused by Intimate Partner Violence, and Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Patients of a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic
Am J Public Health,
April 1, 2009;
99(S1):
S173 - S179.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
C. A. Taylor, N. B. Guterman, S. J. Lee, and P. J. Rathouz Intimate Partner Violence, Maternal Stress, Nativity, and Risk for Maternal Maltreatment of Young Children
Am J Public Health,
January 1, 2009;
99(1):
175 - 183.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
J. R. Williams, R. M. Ghandour, and J. E. Kub Female Perpetration of Violence in Heterosexual Intimate Relationships: Adolescence Through Adulthood
Trauma Violence Abuse,
October 1, 2008;
9(4):
227 - 249.
[Abstract][PDF]
D. G. Dutton My Back Pages: Reflections on Thirty Years of Domestic Violence Research
Trauma Violence Abuse,
July 1, 2008;
9(3):
131 - 143.
[PDF]
C. M. Forke, R. K. Myers, M. Catallozzi, and D. F. Schwarz Relationship Violence Among Female and Male College Undergraduate Students
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med,
July 1, 2008;
162(7):
634 - 641.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
M. H. Bair-Merritt, S. S. Crowne, L. Burrell, D. Caldera, T. L. Cheng, and A. K. Duggan Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Children's Well-Child Care and Medical Home
Pediatrics,
March 1, 2008;
121(3):
e473 - e480.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
E. Reed INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE: A GENDER-BASED ISSUE?
Am J Public Health,
February 1, 2008;
98(2):
197 - 198.
[Full Text][PDF]
A. M. Heru Intimate partner violence: treating abuser and abused
Adv. Psychiatr. Treat.,
September 1, 2007;
13(5):
376 - 383.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
Intimate Partner Violence Among Young Adults
Journal Watch Psychiatry,
May 21, 2007;
2007(521):
5 - 5.
[Full Text]