Revictimization and Mental Health Service Use in Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparison of Single and Multiple Reports Using Linked Police and Health Registers.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) contributes to the development and severity of mental health problems, and pre-existing mental disorders are also associated with victimization. IPV is rarely a single event, and the consequences of revictimization appear to be more severe. However, little is known about patterns of mental health service utilization among individuals exposed to IPV revictimization.

Aims: The study aims to estimate the associations between IPV revictimization and mental health service use over a 2-year period. Furthermore, we examine the association between pre-existing mental disorders and the risk of IPV revictimization.

Methods: We conducted a register-based study including IPV victims identified from police reports in Finland, aged 19 to 54 years (N = 10,195), comparing single (N = 7,547) and multiple reports (N = 2,648) between 2016 and 2018. We applied the difference-in-differences method to estimate the effects of revictimization on mental health service utilization 1 year before and after the IPV event. Risk factors for revictimization were assessed using logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Results: Compared to the single event group, IPV victims with multiple reports exhibited higher mental health service utilization throughout the 2-year study period. In both groups, mental health service use peaked sharply around the time of the IPV event. The increase in mental health service utilization for IPV revictimization was approximately 8.0%, with a 0.9 percentage point rise following the initial IPV event. Pre-existing substance use disorders were significant predictors of revictimization for both men and women.

Conclusion: Our main finding of higher mental health service use among IPV victims with multiple reports highlights the critical importance of early intervention. These results could reflect underlying poor socioeconomic conditions, pre-existing mental health conditions, and/or traumatic experience before the initial IPV report. Developing integrated services across mental health, social, and police services is crucial for providing preventative interventions to reduce further revictimization.