AbiNader MA, Graham LM, Kafka JM. Examining Intimate Partner Violence-Related Fatalities: Past Lessons and Future Directions Using U.S. National Data.
JOURNAL OF FAMILY VIOLENCE 2023;
38:1-12. [PMID:
36685752 PMCID:
PMC9838333 DOI:
10.1007/s10896-022-00487-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Purpose
Among homicides in the United States, intimate partners kill almost 50% of female and 10% of male victims. Intimate partner violence (IPV) also contributes to an estimated 6% of suicides. These trends suggest that opportunities for IPV interventions prior to the fatalities may have been missed. Thus, researchers must investigate the context and circumstances of IPV-related fatalities to inform effective prevention strategy development. There are two primary national fatality databases that can be used to examine such factors: the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS, homicide and suicides); and the Uniform Crime Reporting-Supplementary Homicide Reports (UCR-SHR, homicides). These datasets include data on many IPV-related violent deaths but are limited by variations in data quality.
Method
This critical review summarizes opportunities and challenges when examining IPV-related fatalities using these national datasets. To document how the current literature is conceptualizing IPV, a rapid review on IPV-related homicide and suicide articles was performed (2019-2022). Missingness analyses were conducted to describe limitations in key dataset variables.
Results
These datasets enable tracking IPV-related fatalities nationally over time. However, issues with the operationalization of variables that record IPV circumstances, particularly in the UCR-SHR, and high levels of missingness represent significant barriers to research. Novel methodologies can optimize the use of these datasets.
Conclusion
National-level datasets enable researchers to examine IPV-related fatalities, evaluate policy differences between states, and monitor trends and disparities. This research can inform key recommendations for interventions to prevent IPV-related fatalities.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10896-022-00487-2.
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