Intimate Partner Violence and Homicide: An Analysis of European Prevalence Studies and the Role of Mental Health in Domestic Homicide Reviews.

Lemm, Casey (2026) Intimate Partner Violence and Homicide: An Analysis of European Prevalence Studies and the Role of Mental Health in Domestic Homicide Reviews. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health issue and is a common precursor to Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH). The United Nations (2025) has set goals to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. The current thesis aims to contribute to the growing body of research in this area.

Method: The systematic review and meta-analysis sought to synthesise all studies reporting past-year IPV prevalence among women in Europe and to provide up-to-date estimates. The review further sought to examine the definitions used to measure IPV and explore their impact on reported prevalence. The empirical paper aimed to explore the mechanisms of mental health (MH) within the perpetrator in IPH cases in England and Wales.

Results: 22 studies were included in the systematic review. A pooled prevalence of 12.1% for ‘any IPV’ among women in Europe was identified. The prevalence rates for IPV subtypes were 7.4% for physical IPV, 3.1% for sexual IPV, and 22.6% for emotional IPV. The empirical paper found that anxiety, psychosis or schizophrenia and neuro-cognitive disorders appeared to feature more in perpetrators, in cases where MH was likely to be linked to IPH perpetration (MH-IPH). Depression was also common among perpetrators. Care-giving roles and close relational dynamics were also further characteristics of MH-IPH cases.

Conclusions: There is significant heterogeneity in prevalence studies reporting IPV towards women, creating significant challenges in establishing confidently what the true rates are. IPV prevalence is best understood within the local country and cultural context. Whilst MH is commonly reported in perpetrators of IPH, it is not always a primary driver, and often patterns of abusive behaviour, conflict, and separation can be antecedents. Strengths, limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2026 09:06
Last Modified:	10 Nov 2026 09:06
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/105031
DOI:

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