Current State of Psychological Research on Intimate Partner Violence: Implications for Legal Proceedings

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and widespread public health concern. Not only has it been the subject of thousands of papers published over the past three decades, but it also appears frequently in legal proceedings across criminal, civil, and family court contexts. To have currency in the field, forensic experts and other individuals working in court systems must identify and synthesize a wide and complex body of literature, from the conceptual underpinnings of IPV to issues of memory and trauma, many of which may affect victim participation, testimony, and credibility. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and concise summary of several foundational IPV studies, as well as some that have built upon these theoretical models and empirically tested the premises, focusing on key findings relevant to legal proceedings. We also spotlight potential avenues of expert testimony, including “counterintuitive” victim behavior, coercive control, persistence in abusive relationships, delayed reporting, technology-facilitated abuse, and factors that may impact the way in which IPV is manifested or reported (e.g., cultural factors, interpersonal context). Finally, we discuss the wider implications of this work for law and policy, focusing on the continuous need for empirically-grounded testimony in the courtroom.