DOI: 10.36347/sasjs

Pages: 146-155

Over the past 40 years, intimate partner violence (IPV) has evolved from an emerging social problem to a socially unacceptable crime. IPV is also a major public health issue, with serious social, economic and health consequences. Although men do experience intimate partner violence, it is considerably more prevalent among women. Despite the high prevalence of intimate partner violence in the Emergency Department (ED) and the serious associated health consequences, screening and detection of victims remain low in the ED. According to the literature, victims of IPV are mainly women and children. The prevalence of experiencing physical violence at least once during lifespan in Austria is more than 50% for both, men and women. According to the literature, 10% of abused women surveyed were pregnant at the time of abuse, and up to 5% had miscarried because of abuse. Pregnant teenagers are at especially high risk for abuse, with injury rates as high as 27% reported from parental as well as partner abuse. Marginalized populations such as women who are foreign born are also more likely to experience IPV than those born in the US.