Abstract
Intimate partner violence against women: magnitude, health repercussions and clinical screening in primary care
Unidad de Medicina Familiar No. 77, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, México
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Campus Tampico, México
Family Medicine & Primary Care Review 2026; 28(3): 323–329
Background
Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women represents a serious public health problem worldwide. It is estimated that more than one in three women have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime, with particularly high figures in Latin America, where the social normalization of abuse contributes to its clinical invisibility.
Objectives
To synthesize the evidence on intimate partner violence against women and its clinical detection using validated scales.
Results
IPV against women is predominantly expressed in psychological, physical, sexual and economic forms, with a high frequency during pregnancy. Among the main associated factors are low educational level, alcohol or drug use by the partner, early marriage and patriarchal sociocultural norms. The consequences include physical injuries, chronic illnesses, obstetric complications, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. For clinical detection, validated instruments such as WAST, HITS, CTS, HARK and CARS-SF are available, which have demonstrated adequate reliability and usefulness in the field of primary and prenatal care.
Conclusions
IPV against women is highly prevalent and continues to be underdiagnosed. The systematic use of validated screening tools, together with a comprehensive clinical approach, represents a key strategy for early identification, prevention and mitigation of its consequences.
Keywords
intimate partner violence, women, primary health care, mass screening, domestic violence
Coverage in
Integrated with
