Violence against women Linked to sexual relationships.

Jewkes R. Intimate partner violence: Causes and prevention. Lancet 2002;359:1423-1429.

Intimate partner violence includes sexual violence and psychological abuse and is mainly a feature of sexual relationships or thwarted ones. Perhaps surprisingly, age is not a risk factor for such violence. Unlike women in other cultures, a significant number of separated and divorced females in North America have had violent experiences. Causes of domestic violence can be traced to poverty, finances, jealousy, women's gender role, male identity crises, and alcohol consumption; but because intimate partner violence is a product of social context, understanding its cause is harder than studying a disease. Intimate partner violence should be part of the public health agenda, along with intervention programs that address, prevent, and respond to it. The specifics of such intervention attempts will depend on national circumstances.