Utilizing the Life History Calendar to Examine Trajectories of IPV over the Life Course Among Older Adult Women

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a common experience among women of all ages; however, current research and policies tend to target women of child-bearing age. Most studies assessing IPV among older adult women ask about experiences of victimization within the last 12 months and use definitions of violence that older adult women may not identify as acts of violence. Hospital and police records are known to be incomplete and inaccurate in capturing the prevalence of IPV among women of any age. Thus, researchers have been unable to capture an accurate snapshot of IPV over the life course. The purpose of this study was to utilize the Life History Calendar (LHC) as a data collection tool to better define IPV among older adult women and engage older participants in IPV research.

Methods: Guided by Life Course Theory, the characteristics of trajectories of IPV events were examined among a sample of community-dwelling women aged 60 or older in the Southwest United States (n = 52). Semi-structured retrospective interviews were conducted using the LHC. To aid in recall of IPV experiences, less sensitive events (such as employment and schooling) were first asked about and recorded in the calendar. These less sensitive events acted as anchors to assist with recall. IPV events were measured using behavioral indicators of abuse and open-ended questions such as “Were you ever afraid of any partners?” to capture experiences of violence that the participant may not define as violence. The characteristics of trajectories of IPV by type (physical, psychological, sexual) were examined from age 16 to the participants’ age at time of interview (M = 68; SD = 5.4). Generalized linear mixed modeling (GLMM) was conducted to analyze trajectories and examine covariates of IPV risk. Three separate models were run to examine type of IPV (physical, psychological, sexual) with Level 1 time-varying covariates age (linear effect) and age squared (curvilinear effect) and Level 2 time invariant covariate age at interview.

Findings: Half of the women in the sample experienced IPV at age 45 or later (n = 28; 53.8%), with approximately one-quarter of the women in an intimate relationship reporting IPV at time of interview (n = 6; 27.3%). Significant findings revealed curvilinear characteristics of IPV experience by type over the life course, with the probability of IPV events increasing earlier in life then decreasing later in life. Compared to previous studies, the probability of experiencing IPV events increased later into adulthood in this study sample.

Conclusions: Methodological challenges have hindered the calculation of valid estimates of IPV among older adult women. Conventional survey interview methods do not typically use primers to assist with memory retrieval, which results in lower reports of IPV events. The LHC method allows researchers to use cross-sectional samples to collect retrospective longitudinal data, which is both efficient and cost-beneficial. Findings support the use of the LHC for data collection in IPV research among older adult women and also better inform practitioners and policymakers that seek to identify victims of IPV.