Intimate partner violence (IPV), is a serious health care and social issue that impacts every segment of the population.  Its effects are both devastating and far-reaching and impact men, women, children, and the elderly; and can be found in every socioeconomic level, race, religion, age group, and community. 

 Defining IPV

 Various definitions of IPV are utilized nationwide, reflecting both legal definitions and descriptions relevant to specific disciplines of caregivers, including victim advocates, medical professionals, and criminal justice practitioners. While it is necessary for victim service providers to determine the legal definition of IPV in both civil and criminal law in their respective states, it is useful to start with a generic definition of domestic violence:

 Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behaviour designed to exert power and control over a person in an intimate relationship through the use of intimidating, threatening, harmful, or harassing behaviour.

IPV can be physical, sexual, emotional/psychological, or economic actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviours that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone.