Is it the exception or the rule? Daily co-occurrence of physical, sexual, and psychological partner violence in a 90-day study of substance-using, community women

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to describe the daily co-occurrence of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) among substance-using, community-based women currently experiencing IPV. Method: A microlongitudinal study design was used to collect data daily from 49 women for 90 days. Results: On the majority of days (62%), no IPV occurred; 27% of days were characterized by psychological IPV alone, followed by the co-occurrence of psychological and physical IPV (6% of IPV days). Results of person-level analyses showed comparable sized correlations between the proportion of days with physical and sexual IPV and the proportion of days with physical and psychological IPV. However, results of day-level analyses revealed that the association between physical and psychological IPV was much stronger than the association between physical and sexual IPV; Physical IPV was 64 times more likely to occur on days when psychological IPV occurred. Conclusions: Results revealed new information about physical, sexual, and psychological IPV experiences and demonstrate the utility of a microlongitudinal design among this high risk population. Implications for practice, future research, and the development of preventive interventions are noted, underscoring the importance of psychological IPV and the range of IPV experiences among women. © 2012 American Psychological Association.