Physical Intimate Partner Violence: Factors Related to Women's Contact with Police

A study of 3,226 women asked if physical IPV (intimate partner violence), injury, concern for personal safety, and demographic characteristics affected their reporting of the IPV to police. Logistic regressions with data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey showed that likelihood of such reporting was associated in a positive direction with (a) having been physically abused 31 or more times in the preceding year, (b) injury, (c) concern for personal safety, (d) family income of $25,000-$49,999, and (e) education. Moreover, likelihood of women's contact with police was associated in a negative direction with other minority ethnicity. In contrast, no associations were found between likelihood of police contact and (a) having been physically abused 30 or fewer times in the preceding year, (b) African-American ethnicity, (c) Latina ethnicity, (d) age, (e) being married, and (f) perpetration of violence by current, rather than former, partner. Implications for IPV awareness and education programs are noted.