Intimate Partner Violence and its Psychological Impact in Older Chinese Men and Women

Abstract

Introduction : Contrary to the general perception that intimate partner violence (IPV) diminishes as relationship partners grow old, a sizeable proportion of older persons remain victims of abuse by their partners. This study investigated prevalence and psychological impact of IPV in a representative sample of older Chinese. Method : A sub-sample of participants aged 60 or above and who were married at the time of the interview were extracted from a representative population study conducted in 2012. The following analysis includes a total of 320 older Chinese (195 males and 125 females, mean age = 69.98). Information of interest include participants demographic characteristics, past year and life time experience of domestic violence (Revised Conflict Tactics Scale - CTS2), and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale - CES-D). Results : IPV is common in this sample. Past year prevalence rates for psychological aggression, physical assault, and injury by partner were 39.4%, 5.9%, and 0.3% respectively. Life time prevalence rates were 53.1% 11.3%, 0.6% respectively. No gender difference was observed (p>.05). The various forms of IPV were highly correlated with each other (r ranged from .19 to .95, p<.001). Past year physical assault and injury were associated with depressive symptoms (r=.13 & .14, p<.05) and so were life time physical assault and injury (r=.15 &.14). Psychological aggression, however, was not associated with depression symptoms (p>.05). Conclusion : A large proportion of older Chinese men and women experience IPV. Experience of IPV is mildly associated with depressive symptoms.