Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been implicated in a sizeable number of deaths by suicide worldwide, representing a hidden form of lethality of this type of violence. However, there are very
few New Zealand-specific studies that focus on the intersections between IPV and suicide, and
none that explore the subjective experiences of women who have suffered both IPV and suicidal
thoughts or attempts. This research consequently focuses on women’s total experiences of abuse, violence, and suicidality, and, in particular, the ways that women who have been victims believe these experiences relate to one another. Our aims were twofold: to increase our knowledge of
women’s experiences of being both suicidal and a victim of intimate partner violence, and to identify
opportunities for development in practitioners’ responses to victims of intimate partner violence who have been or are suicidal. We used an online survey and the data of 1,257 respondents, analysed using both descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative content analysis.
Respondents were predominately Pākehā, but almost 20 percent identified as Māori and over six
percent as other ethnicities. The majority had children, and were aged 16-65. Nearly 25 percent identified with sexual orientations other than heterosexual. Most were women, but some identified as non-binary. (From the Executive summary). Record #5971