2011 • NYS Psychologist - New York State Psychological Association

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence on College
Campuses: Strategies and Opportunities
Vanessa M. Bing, PhD
LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York
Intimate partner violence (IPV) represents a pattern of coercive
and abusive behavior in a relationship where one partner attempts
to gain control over another intimate partner. Intimate partner
violence largely affects women and is a global public health concern.
College women are part of the national statistics, although
less is known about this population as the phenomenon is largely
under studied. The City University of New York has recently taken
an important move in addressing the problem of intimate partner
violence by passing a resolution for each of its campus school
to develop a policy addressing intimate partner violence on campus.
It is recommended that U.S. colleges and universities similarly
take proactive measures to create structures, policies and
procedures for addressing IPV and undertake research to understand
the nature and scope of this problem on college campuses.
Keywords: intimate partner violence, abuse, gender violence, college
dating
Intimate partner violence (hereinafter IPV) is broadly defined
as violence occurring between persons who have a current or
former dating, marital or co-habiting relationship, with someone of
the same- or opposite-sex. Such violence, frequently referred to
as domestic violence, can represent a pattern of coercive and
abusive behavior in a relationship when one partner attempts to
gain or maintain control over another intimate partner. This abuse
can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological in
nature. Even when there are no acts of physical violence, the
threat of violence is present and abolishes one’s sense of safety
and security in the relationship. Although men are also victims of
partner abuse, findings from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National
Crime Victimization Survey show women are at significantly
greater risk of IPV (Tjaden and Thoennes, 2000). Indeed, the
overwhelming majority of reported victims are women.
In the United States, violence against women is a significant
problem. This violence perpetrated by intimates constitutes 20 -
25% of violent crimes against women (Rennison, 2003; Tjaden
and Thoennes, 2000). The highest rate of intimate partner violence
occurs among women ages 16 – 24 (U.S. Department of
Justice, 2003; 2009), and there are estimates that some 32% of
college students are victims of intimate partner violence (Feminist
Majority Foundation, 2005). However, girls as young as age 12
have been counted among those victimized by intimates with females,
aged 12 and older, reporting approximately 552,000 nonfatal
violent victimizations (rape/sexual assault) by an intimate
partner in 2008 (Catalano, Smith, Snyder & Rand, 2009). The
Centers for Disease Control and National Institute of Justice report
nearly 5 million incidents of IPV occurring each year among
women 18 and older, and IPV results in nearly two million injuries
and over 2000 deaths nationwide. Intimate partner violence or
domestic violence in particular has become one of the most serious
public health and criminal justice issues, with one of every
four U.S. women being physically assaulted or raped by an intimate
partner (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000).
The State of New York Office for the Prevention of Domestic
Violence reports equally staggering numbers in their Domestic
Violence Dashboard Project Data (2008) noting approximately
450,000 domestic violence incidents are reported to police
departments annually, and 50% of females aged 16 and older
who were victims of homicide were killed by an intimate partner.
Similarly, a report from the New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene (2008) supports these state and national
statistics, citing nearly half of fatal violence against women to be a
result of IPV. In 2005 alone, nearly 4,000 New York City women
were treated in emergency departments for injuries due to intimate
partner violence. Anonymous surveys conducted between
2004 - 2005 revealed an estimated 69,000 New York City women
aged 18 and older reported fearing an intimate partner; and 49%
of women killed by an intimate partner had a prior domestic incident
report in the system. These figures are compelling and paint
a critical portrait of women being victimized in New York City as
well as throughout the state. Students attending colleges in New
York City and New York State are part of these statistics. Yet,
little attention is typically given to college students who experience
these issues.
Consequences and Effects of IPV
Women who are victimized by their intimate partners face
serious physical and psychological injuries, the costs of which
cannot be adequately measured. These women suffer from a
number of clinical syndromes including depression, generalized
anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally,
these women may experience a plethora of other conditions including
chemical dependency, substance abuse, somatic and
medical symptoms, negative health behaviors, and changes to
health service utilization (World Health Organization, 2000). IPV
victims may feel suicidal, homicidal and/or blame themselves for
the abuse. Intimate partner violence is also repetitive, with twothirds
of victims reporting multiple incidents of abuse by their intimate
partner. In one survey, half of all women reported victimization
by the same partner from two to nine times (Carr & Ward,
2006). These repeated experiences of abuse may lead to a retraumatization
of the victim and heightened PTSD or other stress
responses.
Relationship Violence and the College Student
Much of the research on violence in college students has
examined the problem of sexual violence, specifically rape and
sexual assault (e.g. Belknap & Erez (1995), American College
Health Association (2005)) finding that 15 - 25% of college women
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Dr. Vanessa Bing is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate
Professor of Psychology in the Social Science Department at LaGuardia
Community College of the City University of New York. She also holds the
position of Faculty Mentor/Director of LaGuardia’s Women’s Center, and
previously served as Director of the Women’s Center at Borough of Manhattan
Community College, CUNY. As a licensed practitioner, Dr. Bing has
worked in a variety of educational and clinical settings. Immediately prior
to joining the faculty at LaGuardia, Dr. Bing was a supervising psychologist
at the University Counseling Center at New York University where she
was also a member of the adjunct faculty in the M.A. Counseling Program
in the Department of Applied Psychology at the Steinhardt School. Dr.
Bing has published a number of articles addressing minority and gender
issues in psychology and clinical practice, and has lectured extensively on
the issue of trauma and domestic violence. Dr. Bing’s current research
interest focuses on the experience of intimate partner violence in women
attending urban colleges, and the impact of partner violence on student
retention.
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Vol. XXIII No. 2 • Fall 2011 • NYS Psychologist