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World J Psychiatr. Jun 19, 2021; 11(6): 215-221
Published online Jun 19, 2021. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i6.215
Intimate partner violence: A loop of abuse, depression and victimization
Marianna Mazza, Giuseppe Marano, Angela Gonsalez del Castillo, Daniela Chieffo, Laura Monti, Delfina Janiri, Lorenzo Moccia, Gabriele Sani
Marianna Mazza, Giuseppe Marano, Delfina Janiri, Lorenzo Moccia, Gabriele Sani, Department of Neurosciences, Section of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy
Angela Gonsalez del Castillo, Daniela Chieffo, Laura Monti, Service of Clinical Psychology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy
Author contributions: Mazza M and Marano G designed the study, wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and managed the literature searches; del Castillo AG, Chieffo D, Monti L, Janiri D, Moccia L, and Sani G supervised and added important contributions to the paper; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Section of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. mariannamazza@hotmail.com
Received: December 31, 2020
Peer-review started: December 31, 2020
First decision: April 21, 2021
Revised: April 25, 2021
Accepted: May 17, 2021
Article in press: May 17, 2021
Published online: June 19, 2021
Processing time: 161 Days and 9.2 Hours
Abstract

Intimate partner violence has been recognized as a serious public health issue. Exposure to violence contributes to the genesis of, and exacerbates, mental health conditions, and existing mental health problems increase vulnerability to partner violence, a loop that imprisons victims and perpetuates the abuse. A recently described phenomenon is when male violence against females occurs within intimate relationships during youth, and it is termed adolescent or teen dating violence. In this narrative review, factors associated with intimate partner violence and consequences of exposure of children to parental domestic violence are discussed, along with possible intensification of violence against women with the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Intervention programs with a multicomponent approach involving many health care settings and research have a pivotal role in developing additional strategies for addressing violence and to provide tailored interventions to victims. Prevention policy with a particular attention on healthy child and adolescent development is mandatory in the struggle against all forms of violence.

Keywords: Intimate partner violence; Women; Depression; Abuse; COVID-19; Personalized medicine

Core Tip: Intimate partner violence represents a serious public health issue. Exposure to violence contributes to the genesis of, and exacerbates, mental health conditions, and existing mental health problems increase vulnerability to partner violence. A recently described phenomenon is when male violence against females occurs within intimate relationships during youth, and it is termed adolescent or teen dating violence. Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is causing a tremendous impact on women's possible exposure to violence. Possible interventions against violence are discussed.