Skip to main content
PMC home page
Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2003 Jan 1;94(1):52–58. doi: 10.1007/BF03405053

Intimate Partner Violence and Health

A Critique of Canadian Prevalence Studies

Jocalyn P Clark 111,211,✉, Janice Du Mont 211
PMCID: PMC6979624  PMID: 12583680

Abstract

Objective: The Canadian Public Health Association, along with other professional organizations, has identified intimate partner violence (IPV) as a priority health issue to which the health professions must respond. This study synthesizes Canadian studies on the prevalence of IPV against women, focusing in particular on the stated implications for women’s health and health care.

Methods: Medical and social science databases were searched for all articles pertaining to IPV in Canada for 1974 through September 2000. Reference lists of these and other related publications were consulted to supplement the literature review. Data on study characteristics, methods, and results were extracted by two independent reviewers. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus.

Results: Sixteen studies were identified in this review, 11 population-based and 5 conducted in clinical settings. Age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were not consistently documented, making comparisons and evaluations of generalizability difficult. Annual prevalence of IPV in Canada was found to range from 0.4% to 23%, with severe violence occurring from 2% to 10% annually. Less than two fifths (37.5%) of the studies incorporated a health-related measure.

Interpretation: This review reveals a paucity of Canadian prevalence data on IPV, marked by design and methodological issues. Poor quality data may pose a challenge to articulating and establishing a coordinated health care response to eliminating IPV in Canada.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements: This study was supported in part by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Carol Mitchell and Richard Venn doctoral fellowship, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Atkinson Foundation. The authors gratefully acknowledge Robin Badgley, Kate Brittin, Joyce Byrne, Julie Dergal, Rhonda Love, and Paula Rochon for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

References

  • 1.Canadian Nurses Association CNA. Family Violence: Clinical Guidelines for Nurses. Ottawa: National Clearinghouse on Violence; 1992. [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Canadian Nurses Association CNA. Policy Statement Interpersonal Violence. 1996. [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA). Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Family Violence. Bishop J, Patterson PGR (Eds.). Ottawa, 1992. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 4.Canadian Public Health Association. Violence in Society: A Public Health Perspective. 1994. [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Society of ObstetriciansGynaecologists of Canada SOGC. Policy statement: Violence against women. J Soc Obstetricians Gynaecologists Canada. 1996. pp. 803–7. [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Ontario Medical Association OMA. Wife assault: A medical perspective. Ontario Medical Review. 1986;53(12):771–79. [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Ontario Medical Association OMA, editor., editor. Reports on Wife Assault. 1991. [Google Scholar]
  • 8.DeKeseredy W, Hinch R. Wife abuse in Canada: The current state of sociological knowledge. Int Criminal Justice Rev. 1991;1:35–52. doi: 10.1177/105756779100100104. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Ferris L, McMain-Klein M, Silver L. Documenting wife abuse: A guide for physicians. CMAJ. 1997;156(7):1015–22. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Greaves L. CIHR 2000: Sex, Gender and Women’s Health. Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Johnson H. Dangerous Domains: Violence Against Women in Canada. Toronto: Nelson; 1996. [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Kinnon D, Hanvey L. Canada-USA Forum on Women’s Health, 1996. Ottawa: Health Canada; 1996. Health aspects of violence against women: A Canadian perspective. [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Stermac L, Du Mont J, Kalemba V. Comparison of sexual assaults by strangers and known assailants in an urban population of women. CMAJ. 1995;153(8):1089–94. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Thurston WE. Health promotion from a feminist perspective: A framework for an effective health system response to woman abuse. Resources for Feminist Research. 1998;26(3&4):175–202. [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Bunge VP, Levett A. Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics; 1998. [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Bunge VP, Locke D. Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics; 2000. [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Brinkerhoff MB, Lupri E I violence. Can J Sociology. 1988;13(4):407–34. doi: 10.2307/3340814. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Solicitor General of Canada. Female Victims of Crime, Canadian Urban Victimization Survey (CUVS) Bulletin. 1985;4:1–11. [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Statistics Canada Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Conjugal violence against women. Juristat Service Bulletin. 1990;10(7):1–7. [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Grandin E, Lupri E. Intimate violence in Canada and the United States. J Family Violence. 1997;12(4):417–43. doi: 10.1023/A:1021935610051. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Kennedy LW, Dutton DG. The incidence of wife assault in Alberta. Can J Behav Sci. 1989;21(1):40–54. doi: 10.1037/h0079792. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Randall M, Haskell L. Sexual violence in women’s lives: Findings from the Women’s Safety Project, a community-based survey. Violence Against Women. 1995;1(1):6–31. doi: 10.1177/1077801295001001002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Ratner PA. The incidence of wife abuse and mental health status in abused wives in Edmonton, Alberta. Can J Public Health. 1993;84(4):246–49. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Smith M. Telephone surveys on woman abuse. North York, Ontario: The LaMarsh Research Program on Violence and Conflict Resolution, York University; 1985. [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Smith M. The incidence and prevalence of woman abuse in Toronto. Violence and Victims. 1987;2(3):173–87. doi: 10.1891/0886-6708.2.3.173. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Rodgers K. Wife assault: The findings of a national survey. Juristat. 1994;14(9):1–21. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Hoffmann BF, Toner BB. The prevalence of spousal abuse in psychiatric in-patients: A preliminary study. Can J Community Mental Health. 1988;7(2):53–60. [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Janssen PA, Basso MC, Costanzo RM. The prevalence of domestic violence among obstetric nurses. Women’s Health Issues. 1998;8(5):317–23. doi: 10.1016/S1049-3867(98)00023-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 29.Martins R, Holzapfel S, Baker P. Wife abuse: Are we detecting it? J Women’s Health. 1992;1(1):77–80. doi: 10.1089/jwh.1992.1.77. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 30.Muhajarine N, D’Arcy C. Physical abuse during pregnancy: Prevalence and risk factors. CMAJ. 1999;160(7):1007–11. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 31.Stewart DE, Cecutti A. Physical abuse in pregnancy. CMAJ. 1993;149(9):1257–63. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 32.Straus M. Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scale. J Marriage and Family. 1979;41:57–88. doi: 10.2307/351733. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 33.McFarlane J, Parker B, Soeken K, Bullock S. Assessing for abuse during pregnancy: Severity and frequency of injuries and associated entry into prenatal care. JAMA. 1992;267(23):3176–78. doi: 10.1001/jama.1992.03480230068030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 34.MacLeod L. Battered but Not Beaten: Preventing Wife Battering in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women; 1987. [Google Scholar]
  • 35.Gazmararian JA, Lazorick S, Spitz AM, Ballard TJ, Saltzman LE, Marks JS. Prevalence of violence against pregnant women. JAMA. 1996;275(24):1915–20. doi: 10.1001/jama.1996.03530480057041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 36.Saltzman LE, Fanslow JL, McMahon PM, Shelley GA. Intimate partner violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 37.Grandin E, Lupri E, Brinkerhoff MB. Couple violence and psychological distress. Can J Public Health. 1998;89(1):43–47. doi: 10.1007/BF03405794. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 38.Lupri E. Male violence in the home. Canadian Social Trends. 1989;14:19–31. [Google Scholar]
  • 39.Smith M. Sociodemographic risk factors in wife abuse: Results from a survey of Toronto women. Can J Sociology. 1990;15(1):39–58. doi: 10.2307/3341172. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 40.Goldberg D, Hillier V. A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. Psychol Med. 1979;9:139–45. doi: 10.1017/S0033291700021644. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 41.Ewing J. Detecting alcoholism: The CAGE questionnaire. JAMA. 1984;252:1905–7. doi: 10.1001/jama.1984.03350140051025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 42.Labs S, Wurtele S. Fetal health locus of control scale: Development and validation. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1986;54:814–19. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.54.6.814. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES