The Article in Brief

Intimate Partner Violence and Comorbid Mental Health Conditions Among Urban Male Patients

Karin V. Rhodes , and colleagues

Background There has been a great deal of research about intimate partner violence (IPV) against women, but few studies have examined such violence against men. This article focuses on the relationship between mental health symptoms and IPV in men. In particular, it looked at men who visited an urban emergency department for nonacute conditions and were in an intimate relationship in the past year.

What This Study Found Thirty-seven percent of men in the study were victims of IPV, or perpetrated IPV, or both. The amount of IPV was associated with mental health symptoms, including symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, suicidality, and substance abuse. Smoking, drinking, and use of street drugs were also higher in men involved with IPV.

Implications

• New methods of identifying IPV and classifying risk of violence need to account for the severity and frequency of occurrences, as well as other health and mental health conditions.
• At least some of the negative health effects associated with violence may be due to unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, and drug use.
• Improving our understanding of the interactions between mental health and violence is important if we are to develop new methods of addressing these issues outside the criminal justice system.