Published in:
01-08-2015 | Original Article
Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Victims’ Relational and Sexual Well-Being
Authors:
Sabine Hellemans, Tom Loeys, Marieke Dewitte, Olivia De Smet, Ann Buysse
Published in:
Journal of Family Violence
|
Issue 6/2015
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Abstract
Research shows that experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV) harm victims’ individual well-being. Surprisingly, little is known about how IPV might impact on victims’ well-being at the relationship level. Based on a population-based study in Flanders (the Northern part of Belgium), this study concentrates on how lifetime experience with IPV impacts on victims’ relational and sexual well-being with their current partner. Ten percent of the population was confronted with physical violence and 56.7 % with psychological violence. Higher levels of IPV victimization corresponded with an adverse mental, relational (relationship satisfaction, attachment), and sexual (sexual satisfaction, sexual dysfunction, sexual communication) well-being in both women and men but except for the latter correlates, the effects were more pronounced for women than for men.