Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Aug 10;11(1):163.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-022-02025-z.

The psychological subtype of intimate partner violence and its effect on mental health: a systematic review with meta-analyses

S B Dokkedahl  1   2 , R Kirubakaran  3 , D Bech-Hansen  4   5 , T R Kristensen  6 , A Elklit  4   5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The psychological subtype of intimate partner violence and its effect on mental health: a systematic review with meta-analyses

S B Dokkedahl et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Purpose: The present study examines the association between psychological violence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, while comparing the specific subtypes of psychological violence and simultaneously focusing on methodological shortcomings.

Method: A systematic review and random-effects meta-analyses were applied on the three main outcomes: PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Four electronic databases were searched (PsycINFO, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science), and a total of 194 studies were included (k = 149 for meta-analyses). GRADEpro was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence from the meta-analyses.

Results: Psychological violence had strong associations with the three main outcomes, with the strongest association for PTSD in both female and male victims. Coercive control was particularly associated with PTSD for female victims, while emotional/verbal and dominance/isolation had the strongest association with depression. Although the identified studies were characterized by gender bias, psychological violence appear to affect male mental health too.

Discussion: Findings from the meta-analyses support the notion that psychological violence is a traumatic experience, which is strongly association with PTSD and other common mental health problems linked to trauma. GRADEpro rated the certainty of evince to be low, and thus, our confidence in the estimated effect is limited. Gender bias, the applied terminology, and other methodological shortcomings are discussed. Despite the substantial amount of research on this topic, more research is needed before we can draw any final conclusions on the effect of psychological violence on mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA 2009 Flow Diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. EUAFR . Violence against women, an EU-wide survey: main results. Vienna: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights; 2014.
    1. Black MC, Basile KC, Breiding MJ, Smith SG, Walters ML, Merrick MTea. The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2011.
    1. Golding JM. Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: a meta-analysis. J Fam Viol. 1999;14(2):99–132. doi: 10.1023/A:1022079418229. - DOI
    1. Johnson DM, Zlotnick C, Perez S. The relative contribution of abuse severity and PTSD seveiry on the psychiatric and social mprbidity of battered women in shelters. Behav Ther. 2008;39:232–241. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2007.08.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Langhintichsen-Rohling J. Top 10 greatest “hits” - important findings and future directions for intimate partner violence research. J Interpersonal Violence. 2005;20(1):108–118. doi: 10.1177/0886260504268602. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types