Content area
Full Text
Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is the only lethal violence in which women are the principal victims. This research reports on an investigation of possible differences between dynamics of lethal and nonlethal intimate partner violence (IPV). A representative sample of 157 help-seeking female victims of IPV in Norway was interviewed. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that women who perceived they had been subjected to lethal IPV were different from those who had not perceived the IPV as lethal concerning interactional dimensions of IPV and in their help-seeking responses. There was no difference related to sociodemographic factors. Because some IPV help-seeking women may be at a heightened risk for lethal violence, it is imperative that their efforts to seek assistance are responded to with care and structured risk assessment.
Keywords: interactional perspective; lethal intimate partner violence; perception; help seeking
Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is the most common type of domestic homicide, and it is the only form of lethal violence in which the principal victims are female (Liem & Roberts, 2009; Reckdenwald & Parker, 2012). In most countries (e.g., United States, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia), the number of women murdered by their husbands is two to five times higher than the number of men murdered by their wives (Elisha, Idisis, Timor, & Addad, 2010). In Norway, the number of women murdered by their husbands is almost eight times higher (Kripos, 2012). IPH has been specified as an independent category of murder in the Norwegian statistics of crime since 1990. Updated figures showed that 172 persons (152 women and 20 men; final verdicts) were murdered by their partners or former partners in Norway in the period 1991-2011 (Kripos, 2012). This accounts to one of four murders in Norway. Even though women are far more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than by anyone else, it is an infrequent occurrence even in at-risk populations (Campbell, Glass, Sharps, Laughon, & Bloom, 2007; Eke, Hilton, Harris, Rice, & Houghton, 2011). However, it is essential to prevent further tragedies of IPH. Identifying valid risk factors for IPH is basic to enhance the awareness and inform risk management. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with perception of IPH threats in help-seeking women....