Legal definitions of IPV reference state or federal laws and generally refer specifically to threats or acts of physical or sexual violence including forced rape, stalking, harassment, certain types of psychological abuse and other crimes where civil or criminal justice remedies apply. Laws vary from state to state. Since non-physical forms of IPV can have many medical, psychological, behavioral and developmental effects, the definition used in these Guidelines is better suited for the identification and treatment of IPV in the health care setting. Child exposure to IPV is a term encompassing a wide range of experiences for children whose caregivers are being abused physically, sexually, or emotionally by.
