Ethnic-specific prevalence rates of intimate partner violence against women in New Zealand

Abstract

Ethnic-specific prevalence rates of intimate partner violence against women in New Zealand Janet L. Fanslow,1, * Brooklyn M. Mellar,1 Pauline J. Gulliver,1 Tracey K. D. McIntosh2 1 Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, New Zealand 2 School of M¯aori Studies and Pacific Studies, Faculty of Arts, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Submitted: 19 March 2023; Revision requested: 2 August 2023; Accepted: 23 October 2023 Abstract Objective: This study presents age-standardised ethnic-specific prevalence rates of intimate partner violence against women in New Zealand, by physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, psychological intimate partner violence, controlling behaviours and economic abuse. Methods: Data are from 1,431 ever-partnered women in the representative and cross-sectional He Koiora Matapopore, the 2019 New Zealand Family Violence Study. Results: High lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence is present across all ethnic groups in NZ, with over half of all women reporting any intimate partner violence (55.8%). Substantial ethnic disparities exist in intimate partner violence rates, with M¯ aori women reporting the highest prevalence of intimate partner violence (64.6%), followed by NZ European women (61.6%). Conclusions: Intimate partner violence prevention and intervention services are needed at the population-level, and services must be culturally responsive and attuned to the needs of communities that bear the greatest burden. Implications for Public Health: Ethnic differences in intimate partner violence prevalence likely contribute to health disparities at the population-level, reinforcing calls for prevention and necessitating healthcare systems to be culturally informed and mobilised to address intimate partner violence as a priority health issue. Key words: intimate partner violence, ethnicity, prevalence