Mandatory Reporting of Intimate Partner Violence: Knowledge Among Intimate Partner Violence Victims

Abstract Purpose Mandatory reporting intimate partner violence (MR-IPV) laws require professionals to report or prevent intimate partner violence (IPV). This directly affects individuals subjected to IPV who reach out for help, but there is limited research on whether IPV victims are aware of MR-IPV or are informed about it. The aim of the current study was to examine knowledge about MR-IPV among IPV victims. Methods Data consisted of questionnaire responses from 86 IPV victims. Three aspects of knowledge were investigated: (1) having been informed about MR-IPV by professionals, (2) the IPV victims’ own perceived knowledge and (3) applied knowledge, operationalized as the IPV victims’ evaluations of a hypothetical case. We examined descriptive findings and used multivariate ordinal regression to investigate predictors of the three separate knowledge aspects. Results An equal number reported having (38.8%) and not having (41.2%) been informed about MR-IPV by professionals. One in five reported having been informed to some extent. Recruitment source and origin were predictors of having been informed. Half of the participants reported knowing the MR-IPV law “to some extent,” 31.4% reported not knowing it and 18.6% knew it. Predictors were having been informed about MR-IPV and personal experience with MR-IPV. Participants generally made evaluations of the case that aligned with the law. No consistent predictors for applied knowledge were identified. Conclusions Our findings indicate a need for greater communication about MR-IPV from professionals, which might enable informed decision making and more predictability for IPV victims.