Prevalence of intimate partner violence victimization and its association with mental disorders in the Korean general population

Abstract

This study assessed the association between experiencing physical or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health among women in the general Korean population. A total of 3160 South Korean women aged 18 to 74 responded to the Korean version of the WHO-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI), version 2.1., and questions about IPV. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the odds of developing mental disorders associated with each type of IPV. Victimization by any type of IPV was associated with significantly increased odds of experiencing any mental disorders in the lifetime (OR 4.4, 95% CI 2.4-8.0). Participants who experienced sexual IPV had the highest odds of having mental disorders (OR 14.3, 95% CI 4.1-54.8). Sexual IPV experience among participants was associated with higher odds of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, agoraphobia, and nicotine dependence. Alcohol use disorder was highly associated with experiencing physical IPV (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.7-8.0). Among women who experienced IPV, the youngest age group, from 18 to 35 years old (2.6%, 95% CI 1.4-3.8), and the never married group (2.7%, 95% CI 1.2-4.2) experienced the highest proportion of any form of IPV. Mental disorders throughout the lifetime are highly associated with the experience of IPV among women and are most prevalent among those who experienced sexual IPV. Thus, to prevent mental disorders among female IPV victims, treatment specific to each type of IPV should be provided early.