IPV is a health problem of enormous proportions. It is estimated that between 20 and 30% of women and of men in the United States have been physically and/or sexually abused by an intimate partner at some point in their adult lives. 6, 7, 8 Heterosexual women are five to eight times more likely than heterosexual men to be victimized by an intimate partner. 9 From 1993 to 1998, victimization by an intimate accounted for 22% of the violent crime experienced by females and 3% of the violent crime sustained by males. 10 Women aged 16-24 experience the highest per capita rate of IPV. 11 For adolescents, the rates of experiencing some form of.
