The Role of Racial Discrimination and Physical Health In Predicting Intimate Partner Violence during COVID-19

Background and Purpose: Social work research has a critical role in advancing democratic principles by exposing and addressing the structural forces that perpetuate inequality. Racial discrimination and intimate partner violence (IPV) represent two such forces: both are rooted in systemic inequity and together undermine the safety, dignity, and full participation of marginalized communities. IPV disproportionately affects racially minoritized populations, yet the mechanisms underlying these disparities remain underexplored. While racial identity is often treated as a proxy risk factor, emerging evidence points to structural determinants—particularly race-based discrimination and physical health burdens—as more proximal drivers of IPV. This study examined racial differences and social determinants of IPV perpetration and victimization during the earliest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of heightened external stress that may have amplified existing inequities. Drawing on critical race theory and the socio-ecological model, we hypothesized that (1) lifetime experiences of racial discrimination and (2) IPV-related physical health problems and symptoms would each be positively associated with both IPV perpetration and victimization.

Methods: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional online survey of 2,045 U.S. adults conducted in spring 2020 via Qualtrics. Analyses focused on participants currently in intimate relationships (n = 1,183). Quota sampling based on gender, race, and age was employed to reduce selection bias. Key measures included: lifetime race-based discrimination (two-item scale; α = .81); IPV-related physical health problems and symptoms (custom index tools based on the Health History Questionnaire); and IPV perpetration and victimization (Jellinek Inventory for Partner Violence; J-IPV), capturing physical and psychological IPV since the COVID-19 outbreak. Covariates included age, gender, race/ethnicity, COVID-19 exposure, and state-level COVID-19 case burden. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine predictors of perpetration and victimization.

Results: Although Black and multiracial participants reported the highest rates of IPV across all four measures (psychological victimization, physical victimization, psychological perpetration, physical perpetration; all p < .01), racial identity was not a significant predictor of IPV in multivariate models. Instead, lifetime race-based discrimination was significantly associated with both psychological IPV victimization (OR = 2.77, p = .001) and physical IPV victimization (OR = 2.32, p = .014), as well as psychological IPV perpetration (OR = 2.93, p = .001) and physical IPV perpetration (OR = 3.49, p < .001). Greater numbers of IPV-related physical health problems and symptoms were also significantly associated with both physical victimization and perpetration. COVID-19 exposure was additionally associated with both forms of IPV victimization.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings indicate that social determinants—particularly race-based discrimination and physical health burden—are more critical predictors of IPV risk than racial identity itself. These results underscore the importance of moving beyond race as a demographic variable and centering structural racism in IPV research, prevention, and intervention efforts. Addressing chronic discrimination and health inequities is essential to reducing IPV, especially during public health crises. Implications for culturally responsive IPV screening, trauma-informed practice, and anti-racist policy are discussed.