Emotional and Physical Symptoms Following Intimate Partner Violence Victimization in the United States: Implications for Law and Public Health Policy

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue that produces significant psychological and physiological consequences. This exploratory descriptive study examines whether sustaining a serious injury increases the likelihood that IPV survivors experience emotional and physical symptoms. We analyzed nonfatal violence by an intimate partner reported in the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey (2009–2023) and applied survey-adjusted logistic regression models. We assessed two dichotomous outcomes: (1) whether respondents reported at least one emotional symptom (e.g., vulnerable, violated, distrustful, or unsafe) and (2) whether they reported at least one physical symptom (e.g., headaches, fatigue, or muscle tension). We define serious injury as broken bones, gunshot wounds, internal injuries, or loss of consciousness. We included demographic characteristics (age, race, sex, and educational attainment) as control variables. The results show that IPV survivors who sustained serious injuries had significantly higher odds of reporting both emotional and physical symptoms than those who did not sustain such injuries. These findings underscore how serious injury compounds the burden of IPV and emphasize the need for comprehensive medical, legal, and psychosocial interventions to address its lasting health impacts.