The figures make for terrifying reading: one in three women and one in six men have experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their lives, meaning twice as many women are living with a violent partner.
People who’ve experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) are more likely to live in deprived neighbourhoods and also to have experienced other hardships in their lives.
However, the associations between IPV, self-harm and attempted suicide (suicidality) remain strong, even when these other factors are adjusted for.
While IPV is a recognised risk factor for psychiatric disorders, there has previously been little evidence of its connection with self-harm and suicidality, until this research, led by the Violence and Society Centre at City, University of London.
Working with the universities of Bristol, Manchester, Leicester and University College London, they analysed results of 7,000 face-to-face interviews with adults.
They were asked about their experience of physical violence and sexual, financial and emotional abuse from a current or former partner, and about suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and self-harm.
An effect on mental health was seen even if someone had experienced only one episode of violence at the hand of a partner. People who had experienced IPV at some point in their lives had, in the previous year, more than twice the risk of self-harming without suicidal intent, almost twice the risk of having suicidal thoughts, and almost three times the risk of attempting suicide.
If any IPV had been experienced within the previous year, then the risks were even higher. Researchers also found the more types of IPV someone is exposed to, the higher the chance of self-harming and attempted suicide.
Sally McManus of City, University of London, and first author of the study, said: “There is a high likelihood someone presenting in suicidal distress is a victim of intimate partner violence. Health, social care, and welfare professionals need to ask people who have self-harmed or are at risk of suicide if they are experiencing IPV, and professionals should be prepared, and supported, to act accordingly.”
Dr Estela Barbosa, also of City, University of London, and a co-author, said: “IPV is common in England, especially among women. The gender gap was widest for sexual IPV, which was about 10 times more common in women than men, and this type was associated with particularly high odds of self-harm and suicidality.”
As the mental health of a woman is damaged by just one episode of domestic violence it is hoped victims find the courage to speak up.
