Rural Disparity in Domestic Violence Prevalence and Access to Resources

Corinne Peek-Asa; Anne Wallis; Karisa Harland; Kirsten Beyer; Penny Dickey; Audrey Saftlas

doi:10.1089/jwh.2011.2891

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Rural Disparity in Domestic Violence Prevalence and Access to Resources

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Rural Disparity in Domestic Violence Prevalence and Access to Resources

Corinne Peek-Asa, Anne Wallis, Karisa Harland, Kirsten Beyer, Penny Dickey and Audrey Saftlas

Journal of women's health (Larchmont, N.Y. 2002), Vol.20(11), pp.1743-1749

11/01/2011

DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2011.2891

PMCID: PMC3216064

PMID: 21919777

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Abstract

Objective: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a significant health issue in the United States and worldwide. The majority of studies on IPV have been conducted in urban populations. The objectives of this study are to determine if prevalence, frequency, and severity of IPV differ by rurality and to identify variance in geographic access to IPV resources. Methods: A cross-sectional clinic-based survey of 1478 women was conducted to measure the 1-year prevalence of physical, sexual, and psychologic IPV. IPV intervention programs in the state were inventoried and mapped, and the distance to the closest program was estimated for each participant based on an innovative algorithm developed for use when only ZIP code location is available. Results: Women in small rural and isolated areas reported the highest prevalence of IPV (22.5% and 17.9%, respectively) compared to 15.5% for urban women. Rural women reported significantly higher severity of physical abuse than their urban counterparts. The mean distance to the nearest IPV resource was three times greater for rural women than for urban women, and rural IPV programs served more counties and had fewer on-site shelter services. Over 25% of women in small rural and isolated areas lived >40 miles from the closest program, compared with <1% of women living in urban areas. Conclusions: Rural women experience higher rates of IPV and greater frequency and severity of physical abuse yet live much farther away from available resources. More IPV resources and interventions targeting rural women are needed.

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Details

Title: Subtitle: Rural Disparity in Domestic Violence Prevalence and Access to Resources
Creators: Corinne Peek-Asa - 1Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa
Anne Wallis - 2Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa
Karisa Harland - 2Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa
Kirsten Beyer - 3Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Penny Dickey - 4Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Des Moines, Iowa
Audrey Saftlas - 2Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of women's health (Larchmont, N.Y. 2002), Vol.20(11), pp.1743-1749
DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2011.2891
PMID: 21919777
PMCID: PMC3216064
NLM abbreviation: J Womens Health (Larchmt)
ISSN: 1540-9996
eISSN: 1931-843X
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
Language: English
Date published: 11/01/2011
Academic Unit: Public Health Administration; Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Emergency Medicine; Nursing; Injury Prevention Research Center; Public Policy Center (Archive); Law Faculty
Record Identifier: 9983997352002771

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