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Risk Factors

Many risk factors for DV have been identified that contribute to a power disparity and intensify conflict. However, these factors are so intertwined that predictable outcomes of change in any one of them is unreliable. Women most likely to become victims of DV are:

urban,
black,
between 17 and 28 years old or over 60,
living in low income households,
poorly educated,
divorced, separated or maritally unstable, and
pregnant, ill or disabled.

Alcohol and drug use in the home is also a high risk correlate, as are employment and financial difficulty within the family. Social isolation is another common vulnerability for the victim. Rigid family roles favoring male dominance and control and/or intergenerational histories of abusive relationships both significantly increase the chances for DV. Several research studies have focused on DV among specific ethnic minority groups but differences diminish when variables such as income, education, and stress factors are controlled.