Relationship between intimate partner violence and depression among couples in the United States

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and depression. A multicluster random household sample of U.S. couples was interviewed in 2000. Couples were of White (n=406), Black (n=232), Hispanic (n=387), and mixed (n=111) ethnicity. The response rate was 72%. Self-reported past-week depressive symptomatology was assessed using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Scale (CES-D). This standardized measure uses a cut-off score of 16 symptoms to indicate depression. We found that women in relationships with male-to-female (MF) and female-to-male (FM) psychological, physical, and sexual aggression had higher rates of depression, compared to women in non-aggressive relationships. In multivariate analyses among, men the odds of depression was not associated with MF, or FM aggression. Among women, FM psychological aggression both minor and severe, was associated with a greater likelihood of depression (OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.04-4.59; and OR-4.57, 95% CI=1.25-16.62 respectively), as was FM physical aggression (OR=4.33, 95% CI= 1.67-14.81). The association between depression and FM aggression (but not MF aggression) may be due to a conflict of female role expectations. That is, the expected nurturing role of women may be in conflict with an aggressive role and this conflict may result in depression. Future research should include longitudinal designs, which allow for causal inference. Longitudinal designs will also lead to better insights on the relationship between IPV and depression, by allowing researchers to study the progression of these phenomena over time.