Understanding intimate partner violence against women in the rural South.
Most U.S. intimate partner violence (IPV) research to date has been limited to women residing in urban areas, with the small body of research focusing on rural populations being primarily qualitative. In this case-control study of Southern rural women, while many factors are consistent with those found in urban settings, unlike findings elsewhere, IPV risk appears to increase with age, and race showed no increased risk. Furthermore, in rural areas where guns are more acceptable than in other parts of the United States, partners of IPV victims are considerably more likely to carry weapons than partners of nonabused women. Given the geographic limitations to police and medical response to severe IPV in a rural setting, an improved understanding of IPV risk among this population can aid health care providers in ascertaining risk before it escalates further.
Shuman
Robert D
RD
Mercer Medical School, Macon, GA, USA.
McCauley
Jeanne
J
Waltermaurer
Eve
E
Roche
W Patrick
WP
Hollis
Helen
H
Gibbons
Anne Kilgannon
AK
Dever
Alan
A
Jones
Solita
S
McNutt
Louise-Anne
LA
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D015206:Southwestern United States; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires