Intimate Partner Violence and Disasters: A Review of the Literature

Objective: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health problem that affects an estimated one in three women globally. The increase in frequency and severity of disasters due to climate change is likely to worsen IPV globally due to disruptions to normal life and the stressors they create. To better understand the relationship between IPV and disasters and to support future research, we conducted a literature review to identify and synthesize research on IPV and disaster. Method: This research used a systematic literature approach, in which two independent reviewers screened 1,033 articles identified in searches of three databases (PsychInfo, PubMed, and Google Scholar). To be eligible for inclusion, articles were peer-reviewed, accessible in English, and focused on IPV in adult relationships after a climate-related, technological, or infectious disease disaster. Thirty-seven articles were included in the review. Results: Findings indicate that IPV likely increases after disaster. It is not clear which types of IPV (i.e., physical, emotional) are more likely to increase after disaster, with research demonstrating increases in physical, emotional, and sexual IPV in different research contexts. Findings also indicate IPV during disaster likely leads to increased depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Conclusions: Future studies should include additional sociodemographic factors including race and ethnicity and sexual identity, as well as more measures of attendant consequences of IPV (i.e., lower resilience, higher stress).