Dear
AJPM
reader,
October is designated
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
as part of a growing movement in the public health community to bring increased attention to the issue of intimate partner and other forms of violence that have serious negative implications for physical, emotional, and mental health.
According to the CDC
, 37.3% of women and 30.9% of men in the U.S. experience intimate partner contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking in their lifetime. As studies have shown, a history of victimization is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes, making preventive interventions essential, as well as highlighting the need for coordinated support systems to address the consequences of violence.
In this issue of
AJPM
, we present research that calculates the staggering economic costs of domestic violence in the publication,
Lifetime Economic Burden of Intimate Partner Violence Among U.S. Adults
by Peterson et al. The authors estimate lifetime cost of intimate partner violence to be $103,767 per female victim and $23,414 per male victim, translating to a
population economic burden of nearly $3.6 trillion
in 2014 U.S. dollars.
We hope you find this and the other articles in our
October issue
to be timely and informative.
Yours in prevention and health,
Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
