Partner Violence Before and After Divorce Among Women: Investigating Victimization, Perpetration, and the Role of Children

Elina Einio , University of Helsinki
Niina Metsä-Simola, University of Helsinki
Mikko Aaltonen, University of Eastern Finland
Elina Hiltunen, University of Helsinki
Pekka Martikainen, University of Helsinki

Partner violence is known to be associated with an increased risk of divorce, and the risk of experiencing partner violence is indicated to be higher for separated or divorced women than those who are married. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the risk for partner violence varies upon the time before and after divorce and according to whether the couple has children together. Using repeated-measures logistic regression analysis of hospital-treated assault injuries (2007–2017) and police-reported crimes (2011–2017), we study the victimization and perpetration trajectories of partner violence surrounding divorce in Finland (N=22,468 divorcing women, N=333,542 continuously married women). The results show that the risk of crime victimization for physical partner assault is already elevated from two to three years before divorce, peaks in the year prior to divorce, and then mainly levels off one to two years after divorce. Women with children remain more at risk for threats for a year after divorce but not necessarily for physical partner assaults. Hospital data show that the time of the greatest risk is from 6 to 12 months before divorce, when divorce is usually filed for. The risk of perpetration of partner assault is also elevated shortly prior to divorce but mostly accompanied by victimization, suggesting that resistant or mutual violence is common for divorcing women as perpetrators.

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 Presented in Session 68. Divorce and children