Recent intimate partner violence is associated with worse sexual function among women veterans

Research on the sequelae of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women predominantly focuses on overall physical and mental health. A better understanding of IPV's implications for sexual health is needed, especially among women veterans who experience high risk for IPV. This brief report examines the associations between recent and lifetime IPV, including physical, psychological, and sexual IPV, and sexual health among women veterans.

Women veterans (n = 141) drawn from a larger national web-based longitudinal study completed surveys at several timepoints that assessed lifetime IPV and recent IPV (i.e., past 9-10 months) and sexual health concerns. Various forms of sexual function, including sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain, were regressed on (a) any recent IPV and (b) recent physical, psychological, and sexual IPV, while accounting for lifetime IPV, military sexual trauma, and age.

Recent, but not lifetime, IPV was negatively associated with all forms of sexual function (B = -0.02 to -0.11, ps < .05) and remained significant (Bs = -0.03 to -0.13, ps < .05) after accounting for covariates. Recent psychological IPV was specifically related to all forms of worse sexual function (Bs = -0.03 to -0.13, ps < .05), whereas physical and sexual IPV were not after adjusting for lifetime IPV, military sexual trauma, and age.

Recent psychological IPV is detrimental to women's sexual function. Clinicians should assist these individuals with improving their sexual function after ensuring safety. The nonsignificant association of physical and sexual IPV with sexual function may be due to low frequency of endorsement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).