While we often think of love as a safe harbor, the shocking reality is that for millions, their most intimate relationship is the source of profound danger, with nearly 1 in 10 women in the U.S. having been raped by an intimate partner.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly 1 in 10 women in the US have been raped by an intimate partner
- About 1 in 6 women have experienced attempted or completed rape by an intimate partner
- 35.6% of US women report lifetime stalking by an intimate partner
- Women experiencing IPV are 1.5 times more likely to be depressed
- IPV survivors have 2-3 times higher risk of PTSD
- 40-60% of IPV victims develop PTSD symptoms
- IPV survivors face 16% higher risk of heart disease
- Abused women 1.5x more likely to have hypertension
- IPV linked to 30% increased stroke risk
- Emotional abuse involves isolation in 80% cases
- Gaslighting reported in 60% unhealthy relationships
- Coercive control in 45% of DV cases
- 70% of abusers have criminal history
- 80% of abusers witnessed DV as children
- Alcohol abuse in 50% perpetrators
Domestic violence is an epidemic causing widespread physical and emotional damage.
Economic/Societal Costs
- IPV costs US $8.3 billion annually in medical
- DV victims lose 8 million workdays yearly
- Lifetime economic cost per victim $103,000
- 42% victims miss work due to abuse
- Global cost of IPV 1.5% GDP
- Shelters cost $300 million/year US
- Child custody battles cost $20k average
- 60% victims become unemployed post-abuse
- Legal costs for DV $1.5 billion/year
- Homelessness from DV 38% cases
- Welfare usage 3x higher for victims
- Productivity loss $1.8 billion/year
- 50% victims face job sabotage
- Child services involvement costs $2 billion
- Mental health treatment $5.8 billion/year
- Police response to DV $4.2 billion
- Reduced lifetime earnings 30% for victims
- Incarceration costs $500 million/year
- 25% poverty increase post-DV
- Education disruption in 40% child witnesses
- Healthcare costs double for victims
- Divorce from DV costs $15k average
- 70% victims need food assistance
- Global VAW economic burden $1.5 trillion
- Absenteeism 50% higher for victims
- Foster care costs from DV $1 billion
- Victim services funded 20% shortfalls
- Long-term disability claims 2x higher
- 35% turnover rate in victim jobs
- Juvenile delinquency from DV homes 3x
- Insurance premiums rise 15% from DV
- Community prevention saves $14 per $1
- 45% of low-income women affected
Economic/Societal Costs Interpretation
Unhealthy relationships are catastrophically expensive, draining not just spirits but also $8.3 billion from medicine, $1.8 billion from productivity, and entire paychecks from victims, proving that abuse is a theft that robs both the heart and the economy.
Mental Health Effects
- Women experiencing IPV are 1.5 times more likely to be depressed
- IPV survivors have 2-3 times higher risk of PTSD
- 40-60% of IPV victims develop PTSD symptoms
- Emotional abuse linked to 2x risk of anxiety disorders
- 30% of abused women suffer from major depression
- IPV increases suicide attempts by 3.5 times in women
- Abused women 80% more likely to misuse substances
- Psychological aggression correlates with low self-esteem in 70% cases
- Teen dating violence doubles risk of depressive symptoms
- IPV victims 4x more likely to have alcohol dependence
- Emotional abuse increases chronic stress hormones by 50%
- 50% of survivors report long-term trust issues
- Gaslighting leads to dissociation in 25% of victims
- Coercive control raises suicide ideation by 2x
- Abused partners show 30% higher cortisol levels
- 35% of IPV victims develop eating disorders
- Stalking victims have 3x PTSD risk
- Financial abuse correlates with 40% higher depression rates
- 60% of child witnesses to DV develop behavioral problems
- IPV linked to 50% increased schizophrenia risk in offspring
- Sexual violence survivors 5x more likely to attempt suicide
- Emotional IPV causes sleep disturbances in 45% victims
- Abusers' partners 2.5x more likely to self-harm
- 28% of men experiencing IPV report depression
- IPV in LGBTQ relationships doubles anxiety prevalence
- 40% of survivors experience complex PTSD
- IPV victims 3x more likely to be hospitalized for mental health
- Psychological abuse increases somatic symptoms by 35%
- 55% of abused women report panic attacks
- IPV raises risk of personality disorders by 2x
Mental Health Effects Interpretation
The statistics are not just numbers but a grim ledger of suffering, proving that intimate partner violence is not merely a crime of the flesh but a slow, systemic poisoning of the mind and spirit.
Perpetrator Characteristics
- 70% of abusers have criminal history
- 80% of abusers witnessed DV as children
- Alcohol abuse in 50% perpetrators
- 40% of abusers have personality disorders
- Unemployment doubles perpetration risk
- 60% male perpetrators have jealousy issues
- 30% abusers stalk post-separation
- Low empathy in 75% convicted abusers
- 50% perpetrators deny responsibility
- History of trauma in 65% abusers
- 25% abusers use weapons
- Antisocial traits in 35% batterers
- 45% have controlling behaviors pre-violence
- Drug use correlates with 40% perpetration
- 55% abusers male aged 18-35
- Narcissism in 20% emotional abusers
- 70% reoffend within 2 years untreated
- Poverty increases perpetration by 2x
- 15% female perpetrators in heterosexual couples
- High anger levels in 80% batterers
- 30% have military background with higher risk
- Entitlement beliefs in 60% abusers
- 40% perpetrators isolate victims socially
Perpetrator Characteristics Interpretation
Reading these numbers together paints a disturbing psychological and social blueprint: it seems an abuser is often crafted from a toxic alchemy of personal trauma, deep-seated insecurity, antisocial traits, and a profound sense of entitlement, which then metastasizes into a criminal pattern of control and violence that, without intervention, they are tragically doomed to repeat.
Physical Health Effects
- IPV survivors face 16% higher risk of heart disease
- Abused women 1.5x more likely to have hypertension
- IPV linked to 30% increased stroke risk
- 40% of IPV victims sustain injuries requiring medical care
- Strangulation in IPV leads to brain injury in 50% cases
- IPV increases diabetes risk by 25%
- Pregnant women abused 2x more likely to miscarry
- IPV causes 20% of maternal deaths globally
- Abused individuals 70% more likely to develop chronic pain
- Sexual IPV raises HIV risk by 1.5x
- 25% of IPV injuries are head-related
- IPV linked to 50% higher obesity rates
- Fractures occur in 30% of severe IPV cases
- IPV victims 3x more likely to smoke
- Abdominal injuries in 40% battered women
- IPV doubles risk of arthritis
- 15% of IPV leads to hospitalization
- Strangled victims have 10x homicide risk
- IPV increases asthma exacerbations by 20%
- 35% of abused pregnant women have low birth weight babies
- IPV linked to gastrointestinal disorders in 45%
- Burns and scalds in 10% of child abuse from DV homes
- IPV raises cancer risk by 15%
- 20% of ER visits by women are DV-related
- IPV victims 2x more likely to have STIs
- Hearing loss in 15% repeated assault victims
- IPV linked to fibromyalgia in 30% women
- 50% of homicides from IPV involve firearms
- Abused children 4x more likely to have health issues
- IPV increases COPD risk by 25%
- 28% of male victims report physical injuries
Physical Health Effects Interpretation
The body keeps the score of abuse with a brutal ledger, tallying the violence not just in bruises but in a haunting symphony of chronic disease, disability, and premature death.
Prevalence
- Nearly 1 in 10 women in the US have been raped by an intimate partner
- About 1 in 6 women have experienced attempted or completed rape by an intimate partner
- 35.6% of US women report lifetime stalking by an intimate partner
- 28.5% of US men report lifetime stalking by an intimate partner
- 48.4% of women experience psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime
- 48.8% of men experience psychological aggression by an intimate partner
- Globally, 30% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner
- 1 in 3 women worldwide experience physical or sexual intimate partner violence
- 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners
- In the US, 1 in 7 women aged 18+ have been injured by an intimate partner
- 41% of women report coercive control in relationships
- 15% of US adults report experiencing emotional abuse in relationships
- 1 in 5 women in college experience relationship violence
- 10 million Americans witness or experience domestic violence annually
- 25% of women attempt suicide after experiencing IPV
- 20% of men report physical violence from partners
- 50% of all homeless women experienced domestic violence
- 80-90% of IPV involves alcohol use
- 1 in 4 teen girls is abused by a boyfriend
- 33% of teens experience abusive dating relationships
- 40-50% of women who are abused are pregnant when abuse occurs
- 60% of families receiving welfare have experienced DV
- 1 in 10 high school students experienced physical violence in dating
- 13% of US adults report partner rape
- 7% of men report being made to penetrate an intimate partner
- 23% of women report severe physical violence by partner
- 14% of men report severe physical violence by partner
- 29% of US women raped or assaulted by partner as child
- 1 in 4 same-sex couples experience IPV
- 44% of lesbian women report IPV
Prevalence Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim picture of intimacy turned into a minefield, where trust is statistically more likely to be weaponized than honored.
Types/Behaviors
- Emotional abuse involves isolation in 80% cases
- Gaslighting reported in 60% unhealthy relationships
- Coercive control in 45% of DV cases
- Financial abuse affects 99% of DV victims
- Verbal abuse precedes physical in 70% cases
- Stalking occurs in 76% of female homicides by partners
- Jealousy control in 90% abusive relationships
- Digital abuse in 25% teen relationships
- Minimizing abuse occurs in 85% cycles
- Blame-shifting in 65% emotional abusers
- Threats of suicide by abusers in 30%
- Property damage in 40% IPV incidents
- Forced sex in 25% relationships
- Isolation tactics in 70% coercive relationships
- Public humiliation in 50% emotional abuse
- Monitoring phone use in 55% abusive partners
- Economic sabotage in 35% DV cases
- Animal cruelty by abusers in 20%
- Denial of abuse in 90% perpetrators
- Cycle of tension-building in 80% battering
- Hypercriticism in 60% unhealthy dynamics
- Revenge porn threats in 15% digital abuse
- Withholding affection as punishment in 45%
- False accusations in 25% gaslighting
- Sleep deprivation tactics in 10% control
- Food restriction in 5% extreme abuse
- Medical neglect in 20% abusive homes
Types/Behaviors Interpretation
These statistics paint a chilling portrait of control, where love is systematically weaponized through isolation, manipulation, and fear, long before a single physical mark may appear.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 2WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 3UNWOMENunwomen.orgVisit source
- Reference 4NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 5PSYCHOLOGYTODAYpsychologytoday.comVisit source
- Reference 6NCADVncadv.orgVisit source
- Reference 7VAWNETvawnet.orgVisit source
- Reference 8DOMESTICSHELTERSdomesticshelters.orgVisit source
- Reference 9LOVEISRESPECTloveisrespect.orgVisit source
- Reference 10PTSDptsd.va.govVisit source
- Reference 11PSYCNETpsycnet.apa.orgVisit source
- Reference 12AHAJOURNALSahajournals.orgVisit source