U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-99 October 2001, NCJ 187635 revised 11/28/01 th --------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ipvva.htm This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp1.htm#Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim --------------------------------------------------------- By Callie Marie Rennison, Ph.D. BJS Statistician --------------------------------------------------------- Highlights Women accounted for 85% of the victims from among the more than 790,000 victims of intimate violence in 1999; women age 16 to 24 were the most vulnerable to intimate violence * Intimate partner violence rates differ greatly based on the age of the victim. While the overall per capita rate of intimate partner violence against women was 5.8 victimizations per 1,000 in 1999, among females age 16-24, it was 15.6 per 1,000. * Between 1993 and 1999 the overall rate of intimate partner violence against all females decreased 41% from 10 to 6 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older. Rates of intimate partner violence fell for females age 20-24, 25-34, and 35-49. * Black and white females experienced intimate partner violence at similar rates for every age group examined except age 20-24. For this age, there were 29 intimate partner victimizations per 1,000 black women and 20 per 1,000 white women. * Women separated from their husbands were victimized by an intimate at rates higher than married, divorced, widowed, or never married women. * Intimate partners murdered 1,218 women during 1999. From 1993 to 1999 intimates killed 32% of all female murder victims age 20-24. * Women age 35-49 were the most vulnerable to intimate murder. ---------------------------------------------------------- Estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) indicate that in 1999 persons age 12 or older experienced about 791,210 violent crimes by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend. Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women: During 1999 females experienced 671,110 (85%) such violent victimizations; males, 120,100 (15%). Younger women generally had higher rates of intimate partner violence than older women.***Footnote 1: In general, information about intimate partner victimi- zation of males is not provided because the small number of cases in each age category was not sufficient for reliable estimates.*** The 1999 per capita rate of intimate partner violence against women was 6 victimizations per 1,000; per 1,000 females age 16-24, it was 16 victimizations, and per 1,000 females age 25-34,9 victimizations. Overall, older women experienced intimate partner violence at rates that were about equal among different ethnic or racial groups. Only among women age 20-24 did blacks experience more intimate violence than whites. Between 1993 and 1999 the rates of intimate partner violence for women age 20-49 declined. The rates for women of other ages did not change significantly. Data Findings regarding violent crime are drawn from National Criminal Victimi- zation Survey (NCVS) data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Homicide data were collected by the FBI, under the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR). ---------------------------------- Victims age 65 or older Annual rates for victims of nonfatal intimate partner violence age 65 or older are displayed in appendix. The rates are combined with those of the 50-64 age group elsewhere because the number of sample cases of women age 65 or older was too small to provide reliable estimates. Where possible, discussions of homicide display data for victims age 65 or older. ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- The National Crime Victimization Survey The NCVS is the Nation's primary source of information on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization. One of the largest continuous household surveys conducted by the Federal Government, the NCVS collects information about crimes both reported and not reported to police. The survey provides the largest national forum for victims to describe the impact of crime and the characteristics of violent offenders. This report is one in a series. Previ- ous reports include the following: Intimate Partner Violence, NCJ 178247 and Violence by Intimates, NCJ 167237. Findings from the NCVS are also on the BJS website: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ ------------------------------------- Definitions For this report, intimate relationships are defined as those involving current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends. Offenders may be of the same gender as the victim. Violent acts examined include murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggra- vated assault, and simple assault. ------------------------------------- Intimate partner homicide of males, 1993-99 In 1999 intimate partner homicides accounted for 11% of all murders of both males and females. An offender who was not intimate with the victim committed the majority of homicides (55%), and in 34% of murders, the victim-offender relationship was unknown. Of the 1,642 persons murdered by an intimate in 1999, 424 -- or 26% -- were men. Male murder victims were substantially less likely than female murder victims to have been killed by an intimate partner. In 1999 intimate partner homicides accounted for 32% of the murders of females and about 4% of the murders of males. In 1999 intimate partners murdered males age 35-49 at rates higher than those of other age categories (0.7 per 100,000 males). Intimates murdered males age 20 to 34 at rates nearly as high as males 35-49 (0.5 males per 100,000). In contrast, intimates murdered males ages 12-15, 16-19, or 65 or older at the lowest rates -- 0.1 per 100,000 males at most. For victims age 16 or older the 1999 rates of intimate partner homicide against males were lower than 1993 rates for all age categories examined. By age group homicide rates against males by an intimate partner decreased between 29% (males age 20-24) and 58% (males age 25-34), 1993-99. ---------------------------------- Intimate partner violence against females, 1999 Women were victimized in 85% of the 791,210 intimate partner violent crimes in 1999. Intimate partner violence against females most often took the form of a simple assault (66%). Fourteen percent of female intimate partner victims were raped or sexually assaulted. Aggravated assaults and robbery each accounted for 10% of all intimate partner violence against females during 1999. Overall, 6 per 1,000 females age 12 or older were victims of intimate partner violence during 1999. This overall rate masks the variation in per capita rates for females in different categories of age. For example, during 1999 females age 16-19 and 20-24 were the most vulnerable to intimate partner violence (15 and 16 violent victimizations per 1,000, respectively). Homicide of females by intimates As was the case historically, females were more likely than males to be murdered by an intimate partner in 1999. During the year 74% -- or 1,218 -- of the 1,642 persons murdered by an intimate partner were female (not shown in table). A substantial percentage of female murder victims were slain by an intimate partner. In every age category females were more likely than males to be murdered by an intimate partner. Between 1993 and 1999, an intimate was responsible for 45% homicides of women age 20-24 and almost 40% of homicides of women age 35-49. In 1999 women age 35-49 were murdered by an intimate partner at rates greater than those of all other age groups (2.1 females killed by an intimate per 100,000 females. Females age 20-24 and 25-34 also had high rates of intimate partner homicide. During 1999 an intimate partner killed 1.6 females age 20-24 per 100,000 and 1.7 females age 25-34 per 100,000. In contrast, the youngest and oldest females (those age 12-15 and 50 or older) were murdered by an intimate partner at the lowest rates of all females (0.1 and 0.6 per 100,000 females, respectively). The age distribution for homicides differs from that for nonfatal intimate partner violence. Women age 35-49 were the most vulnerable to intimate murder, and those age 16-19 and 20-24, the most vulnerable to nonfatal violence. From 1993 to 1999 the rates of intimate partner homicide against females fell for every age group examined. The smallest percentage decline occurred among females age 35-49 -- those with the highest rates overall. Between 1993 and 1999, intimate partner homicide for this group fell from 2.4 to 2.1 murders per 100,000. In recent years intimate partner homicide rates increased for women in some age groups. For example, between 1997 and 1999 intimate partner homicide rates increased for females age 35-49 and age 65 or older.***Footnote 1: For more information on the difficulty associ- ated with analyzing Supplementary Homicide Reports, see Michael D. Maltz, Bridging Gaps in Police Crime Data, BJS report, September 1999, NCJ 176365, pp. 31-30.*** For additional information on intimate partner homicide trends, visit BJS's web site at < www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ homicide/homtrnd.htm>. Victim characteristics, 1993-99 The following presents rates of intimate partner violence by the victims' age, taking into account one additional variable, such as race or marital status, at a time.***Footnote 2: While these estimates are informative, including more control variables could modify the differences in rates between the age categories. Because of limits imposed by sample size, the addition of multiple control variables simultane- ously was not possible.*** Race The pattern found between rates of intimate partner violence and victim's age for all females also was evident when examining the age profiles of black and white females independently. For both black and white females, age profiles of intimate partner violence rates were similar, peaking at age 20-24, then decreasing for older age categories. In addition to similar overall patterns, black and white females experienced intimate partner violence at similar magnitudes for all age categories except one. Among females age 20-24, black women incurred intimate partner violence at significantly higher rates than white women (29 versus 20 victimi- zations per 1,000 respectively). The age profile pattern between victim's age and intimate partner violence rates for females of other races (Asians, Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives, and American Indians as a whole) was similar to that for black and white females. Intimate partner violence estimates for females of other races are not discussed in the text because of an insufficient number of cases. Hispanic origin The age pattern of intimate partner violence among non-Hispanic females was similar to the pattern for all females. The rate of intimate partner violence against non-Hispanic women peaked at age 20-24 (22 per 1,000), and then decreased as the age category increased. Compared to the rates for non- Hispanic females, intimate partner violence rates for Hispanic females peaked at lower levels and over a wider range of ages. For Hispanic females the highest rates of intimate partner violence occurred among those age 16-19, 20-24, and 25-34 (12, 13, and 11 victimizations per 1,000 Hispanic females, respectively). Between 1993 and 1999 the rates of intimate partner violence for non- Hispanic women age 20-24 and 25-34 were significantly greater than those of Hispanic women of comparable ages. Non-Hispanic females age 16-19 also experienced such violence at a rate slightly higher than that of Hispanic women. No measurable difference in victimization rates existed between Hispanics and non-Hispanics younger than 16 or older than 34. Marital status Age profiles of female victims of intimate partner violence show that regardless of their marital status, women age 20-24 were victimized at higher rates than older women. Older women were less vulnerable to intimate partner violence than younger women, although the degree of vulnerability differed according to marital status. (See the box on page 6 for special considerations when examining marital status and intimate partner violence.) In general, separated females experienced intimate partner violence at rates significantly higher than women in any other marital category. Separated women age 20-24 and 25-34 had the highest annual average rates of intimate partner victimization (151 and 118 per 1,000 women in each age category, respectively). Separated females age 50 or older -- an age category historically associated with relatively low rates of violence in the aggregate were victimized at about 10 times the rate of divorced women in the same age category (12.5 versus 1.2 victimizations per 1,000). Overall, divorced women were victimized by an intimate partner at the second highest rate among the marital categories. Divorced females age 20-24 experienced an average of 78 intimate partner victimi- zations per 1,000 females of this age between 1993 and 1999. On average 50 females age 25-34 per 1,000 experienced violence by an intimate partner during the same period. (The estimate for divorced women age 16-19 is based on fewer than 10 sample cases. See Hypothesis testing and the NCVS on page 11.) In general, females who never married sustained violence at rates higher than those who were married, but lower than those who were separated. On average, 20 females per 1,000 age 20-24, and 17 females per 1,000 age 16-19 were victimized by an intimate, 1993-99. These groups experienced statistically similar rates of victimization and represented the highest rates for females who had never married. Married women reported experiencing intimate partner violence at rates lowerthan women in other marital cate- gories. Married women age 20-24 had 8 victimizations per 1,000 women, as contrasted to 1 per 1,000 among married women age 50 or older. Intimate partner violence rates for widowed women are not discussed because the number of cases was not sufficient for reliable estimates. Annual household income In general, the age profiles seen in the the categories of household income resembled the overall age profile. Except for women with the lowest incomes, rates of intimate partner violence peaked among the younger women and decreased among older women. In general, the lower the annual household income, the higher the rate of intimate partner violence. Among females age 16-19, rates of intimate partner violence for the households receiving $7,500 or less were at least twice those of females in the same age category but at other income levels. For women age 20-24 in the lowest income category, intimate victimization rates were at least 20% higher than those in households with a larger income. ----------------------------------- Special considerations when examining marital status and intimate partner violence Caution is warranted in interpreting intimate partner violence and marital status in the NCVS because marital status may be related to a respondent's willingness or ability to disclose violence by an intimate partner. For example, a married woman may not view, may not wish to view, or may be unable to report the behavior of her partner as violent or criminal. That same woman, if separated or divorced, may view or may be able to report the same behavior as violent. Also, because the NCVS samples households, it does not capture the experiences of homeless individuals or those living in institutional settings such as shelters for homeless or battered persons. Nor can it capture the experiences of an individual who has left a household to escape violence. The experiences and estimates of intimate partner violence in this report reflect only those of the individuals residing in households. Marital status is based on the respondent's situation at the time of the interview, not necessarily at the time of the victimization. The survey does not determine whether a victim's marital status changed between the victimization and the interview. However, some information may be gleaned from examining changes in the marital status of respondents across the 6 months from one NCVS interview to the next. If marital status and intimate partner violence were totally unrelated, then among those with an unchanged marital status, the percentages of victims of violence by both intimates and non-intimates would be about the same. Those percentages were not the same. (table below). Married female victims of intimate partner violence remained with their spouse (or were divorced and remarried) between interviews in significantly lower percentages than victims of non-intimate violence. Thirty-eight percent of the married women who experienced intimate partner violence reported being separated or divorced in the subsequent interview, compared to 2% of women who experienced violence by a non-intimate. Among female victims of intimate partner violence, 30% of those who were married during the previous interview were separated at the interview in which they reported the victimization. An additional 8% were divorced. Among females reporting a victimization by a non-intimate offender, 1% of women who were married at the time of the previous interview were divorced and 1% were separated. While suggestive of a connection between intimate partner violence and a change in marital status, these findings do not provide definitive evidence that intimate partner violence caused or was related to the change in a woman's marital status between two NCVS interviews. Women married at the time of the earlier interview Experienced Experienced Marital status intimate non-intimate over 6 months violence violence Total 100% 100% Still married 62 97 Divorced 8 1 Separated 30 1 Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Percentages exclude women who did not complete two consecutive interviews. -------------------------------- Characteristics of the crime event, 1993-99 Victim-offender relationship Fifty-three percent of all victims of intimate partner violence were victimized by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend. A third of all victims stated that the offender was a spouse. Fourteen percent described the offender as an ex-spouse. Offenders who committed intimate partner violence were more often a boyfriend or girlfriend of younger victims and a spouse of older victims. Among female victims of intimate partner violence, 94% of those age 16-19 and 70% of those age 20-24 were victimized by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend. Women age 25-34 who were victimized by an intimate partner were victimized by a spouse or by a current or former boyfriend/girlfriend in similar percentages (39% and 44%, respectively). Women age 35 or older were more likely to experience intimate partner violence from a spouse than from an ex-spouse or from a current or former boyfriend/ girlfriend. Between 1993 and 1999, 69% of female victims of intimate partner violence age 50 or older were victimized by their spouse; an ex-spouse accounted for 13%; and a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, 18%. Presence of weapons Most victims of intimate partner violence do not face an offender who was armed with a firearm, knife, or an object like a club or bottle. On average, 81% of female intimate partner violence victims faced an unarmed offender, 1993-99. The percentage changes little when taking into account the victim's age. For example, between 1993 and 1999, 79% of females age 25-34, and 87% of females age 12-15 faced an offender who had no weapon. An average of 15% of intimate partner violence victims were involved in a victimization in which the offender had a weapon. Sixteen percent of female victims age 20-24, 17% of female victims age 25-34, and 17% of female victims age 50 or older were victimized by an armed intimate partner between 1993 and 1999. Injuries In general no pattern of injury and age of victim was noted between 1993 and 1999. Overall, 50% of all intimate partner violence resulted in an injury to the victim. Between 1993 and 1999, 5% of female victims of intimate partner violence sustained serious injuries, 41% suffered minor injuries, and 4% were raped or sexually assaulted and suffered unspecified injuries. Reporting to police While 54% of all intimate partner violence against women was reported to the police between 1993 and 1999, adolescent victims and women age 50 or older were less likely than women of other ages to state that the victimizations was reported to police. Twenty-eight percent of intimate partner violence against females age 12-15 and 39% of such crimes against women age 50 or older were reported to the police. In contrast, between 1993 and 1999, 57% of the violence sustained by females age 25-34 and those age 35- 49 was reported to the police. Trends in nonfatal violence against females by intimates, 1993-99 The overall rate of intimate partner violence against all females decreased 41% from 10 to 6 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older between 1993 and 1999. The estimated number of violent crimes against all females by intimate partners decreased from the 1993 level of about 1.1 million to 671,110 in 1999. There was important variation by age in trends of intimate partner violence. Examining the annual changes in the rate of violence and applying linear trend tests are two methods to illustrate this variation. Annual changes in intimate partner violence rates Females ages 20-24, 25-34, and 35-49 experienced intimate partner violence at lower rates in 1999 than in 1993. There were also many year-to-year fluctuations in rates for the age categories. Intimate partner violence against females age 16-19 fluctuated over the 7 years. Between 1995 and 1996, intimate partner violence rates against these females fell. In addition, in 1999 rates were marginally lower than in 1995, the peak year for this age group. None of the apparent year-to-year shifts in intimate partner violence rates for females age 20-24 were significant. However, rates fell between 1996 and 1999. The 1999 victimization rate was lower than the rate in 1993. After rising between 1993 and 1994, rates of intimate partner violence against females age 25-34 remained stable until 1998. Between 1998 and 1999 rates fell significantly. Between 1998 and 1999 rates of intimate partner violence against females age 25-34 fell. For females age 35-49, the rate of intimate partner violence in 1993 was higher than in every year following, 1994-99. In the interim, rates rose slightly between 1996 and 1998, then fell between 1998 and 1999. Rates of intimate partner violence against females age 50 or older fell slightly between 1994 and 1995, and fell marginally between 1994 and 1999. Rates of intimate partner violence against females age 12-15 are not discussed because the number of cases was insufficient for reliable estimates. Trends and linear trend tests Another concise way to measure change in rates over time is through linear trend tests. These tests determine whether a change over time occurred -- taking into account interim changes in the rate during the period of interest. (See Methodology for more information.) Two age categories experienced significant declines in rates of intimate violence: females age 20-24 and 35-49, 1993-99. For all other age categories, after year-to- year fluctuations in intimate partner violence rates were accounted for, no significant declines emerged, 1993-99. Methodology Except for homicide data obtained from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, this report presents data from the BJS National Crime Victimization Survey. ---------------------------------- Intimate partner violence between persons of the same gender, 1993-99 Each year between 1993 and 1999, an average of 142,290 intimate partner victimizations occurred against males (not shown in table). Of that total an average of 13,740 -- or 10% -- stemmed from intimate partner violence between men. In the same period 902,240 intimate partner victimizations against females occurred on average each year (not shown in table). Two percent -- 16,900 victimizations -- resulted from intimate violence between women. Due to an inadequate number of cases, estimates for each year are not given. Annual average number of intimate partner victimization between persons of the same gender, 1993-99 Male victims 13,740 Female victims 16,900 ----------------------------------- The NCVS gathers data about crimes using an ongoing, nationally representative sample of households in the United States. NCVS data include information about crime victims (age, gender, race, ethnicity, income, and educational level), criminal offenders (gender, race, approximate age, and victim-offender relations), and the nature of the crime (time and place of occurrence, use of weapons, nature of injury, and economic consequences). NCVS victimization data include incidents both reported and not reported to police. Between 1993 and 1999 approximately 336,295 households and 651,750 individuals age 12 or older were interviewed. For the NCVS data presented, response rates varied between 93% and 96% of eligible households, and between 89% and 92% of eligible individuals. An important consideration in generating intimate partner violence estimates using NCVS data is the treatment of "series data." Series data are defined as six or more incidents similar in nature, for which the victim is unable to furnish details of each incident separately. Because no information for each incident is available, information on the most recent incident in the series is collected. Generally, series victimizations represent 6% to 7% of all violent victimizations recorded by the NCVS, though some variation exists among the types of crime and victim characteristics. Series crimes are problematic in estimation because how or whether these victimizations should be combined with the other crime incidents is unclear. BJS continues to study how these types of victimizations should be handled in our published estimates. Currently, series victimizations are excluded from the annual BJS estimates but included in Special Reports. In addition, series data are included for analyses where repeat victimization is an important aspect of the subject being analyzed. This report includes series victimizations in estimation of intimate partner violence, counting a series as one victimization. Intimate partner relationships involve current and former spouses and current and former boy/girlfriends. Individuals involved in an intimate partner relationship may be of the same gender. Violent acts covered in this report include murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Overall violent crime is a combination of each type of crime. Hypothesis testing and the NCVS Standard error computations Comparisons of estimates discussed in this report were tested to determine if the differences were statistically significant. Differences described as higher, lower, or different passed a hypothesis test at the .05-level of statistical significance (95%-level of confidence). The tested difference was greater than about twice the standard error of that difference. For comparisons of estimates which were statistically significant at the 0.10 level (90%-confidence level), differences are described as somewhat, marginal, or slight. Caution is required when making comparisons of estimates not explicitly discussed in this report. What may appear to be a large difference in estimates may not test as statistically significant at the 95%- or even the 90%-confidence level. Significance testing calculations were conducted at BJS using statistical programs developed specifically for the NCVS by the U.S. Census Bureau. These programs consider the complex NCVS sample design when calculating generalized variance estimates. Testing trends in intimate partner violence Unless stated otherwise when a statement is made describing differences in estimates between years, it was tested for significance using a computer program designed specifically for the NCVS. These tests determine whether an estimate in one year differs from that of another, regardless of intervening estimate variation. When a statement is made describing the increase or decrease of a linear trend, it was tested using a linear trend test, comparing the slope of the trend to a slope of zero. This test takes into account estimate variation in intervening years. The linear trend test is a regression equation using time as the independent variable, and the estimate of victimization as the dependent variable. A regression coefficient (b) and its corresponding standard error (F) are computed. Next a t-statistic -- the ratio b/F -- is calculated. If the t-statistic is greater than 1.96 for a two-tailed test, the slope is different from zero, and if the t- statistic is greater than 1.645 for a two-tailed test, the slope is slightly different from zero. If the t-statistic is less than the critical value, the trend of the estimates does not differ significantly from a flat line. Estimates based on 10 or fewer sample cases have high relative standard errors. Because calculated standard errors for such estimates may not be accurate, care should be taken when comparing estimates based on 10 or fewer cases to other estimates. It is not advisable to make comparisons between estimates when both are based on 10 or fewer sample cases. ----------------------------------- Definitions of intimate partner Intimate partner relationships involve current spouses, former spouses, current boy/girlfriends, or former boy/girlfriends. Individuals involved in an intimate partner relationship may be of the same gender. The FBI, through the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR), and BJS, using the NCVS, gather information about the victim's and offender's relationship, using different relationship categories, as shown below. NCVS SHR categories categories Intimate Spouse Husband/wife Ex-spouse Common-law husband or wife Boyfriend/ Ex-husband/ girlfriend ex-wife Ex-girlfriend/ Boyfriend/ ex-boyfriend girlfriend Homosexual relationship ------------------------------------ This report and additional data, analyses, and graphs about criminal victimization in the United States are available on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ Data presented in this report can be obtained from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan, 1-800-999-0960. The archive can also be accessed through the BJS Web site. When at the archive site, search for dataset ICPSR 6406. The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lawrence A. Greenfeld is acting director. Callie M. Rennison, BJS Statistician, wrote this report under the supervision of Michael Rand. Marianne Zawitz, BJS Statistician, provided homicide data. Cathy Maston provided statistical review. Tom Hester and Ellen Goldberg produced and edited the report. Jayne Robinson administered final production. October 2001, NCJ 187635 End of file 10/18/01 ih revised 11/28/01 th