Who reports intimate partner violence in Aotearoa New Zealand: Comparing episodes across reporter categories

Abstract

Much research has examined the different types of people who report intimate partner violence to the police and what makes them more or less likely to do so, typically focusing on victims and third parties separately. However, little research has examined the range of roles reporters can take, and the types of demographic, relationship, and episode characteristics that are associated with those roles. In this study we examined intimate partner violence episodes reported to New Zealand police (n = 323) and found that victims and third parties reported episodes at similar rates. Of the third parties, neighbours most frequently reported episodes, followed by family members, members of the public, friends, and then other types of services (e.g., ambulance staff). Third parties known to the dyad reported less frequently than those unknown to them. We also found that victims were more likely than third parties to report when there was a history of family violence and when episodes involved their former partner. Third parties were more likely than victims to report episodes involving verbal harm by the aggressor, but there was no association between physical harm and who reported the episodes. These results indicate that variables influencing the visibility of the episode are more important to who reports than indicators of severity. We identified several variables worth further research and suggested methodological changes that could provide more insight into the types of episodes reported by reporters of different roles.