Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Initiation and Persistence among High Psychosocial Risk Asian and Pacific Islander Women in Intact Relationships

Purpose: The present study identifies risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) initiation and persistence over three years in a high psychosocial risk Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sample of women with children living in Hawaii. Methods: We included 378 women in a 3-year relationship with the same partner who reported IPV experiences at baseline and 3 years later. Baseline risk factors included characteristics of each woman, her partner, and their relationship. Bivariate and multivariate regression models were conducted to assess the influence of risk factors on the likelihood of experiencing IPV initiation and persistence. Findings: Of women who experienced no physical violence at baseline, 43% reported IPV initiation. Of women who did experience physical violence at baseline, 57% reported IPV persistence. Being unemployed and reporting poor mental health at baseline are important risk factors for experiencing IPV initiation. Reporting frequent physical violence at baseline increases the likelihood of experiencing IPV persistence. Asian women were significantly less likely to report IPV persistence than other groups of women. Conclusions: Our study indicates that among a high psychosocial risk sample of AAPI women there are different risk factors for IPV initiation and persistence. Future prevention and screening efforts may need to focus on these risk factors.