Abuse between spouses or partners can take several forms: physical, sexual, and emotional. Physical abuse or battering is most often perpetrated by a male on a female partner, but women do batter men and abuse also occurs in same-sex relationships.

Epidemiology
Spousal abuse is estimated to occur in 2 to 12 million U.S. households. Some studies estimate that nearly one third of all women have been beaten by their husband at least once during their marriage. Many battered women are eventually murdered by their spouses or boyfriends.

Risk Factors
There is a strong association between alcohol abuse and domestic violence.

More than 50% of abusers, and many of the abused, have a history of alcohol or other drug abuse. As children, most abusers lived in iolent homes where they either witnessed or were themselves victims of battering. The victims of abuse, more often than not, are also products of violent homes. Pregnant women are at elevated risk for spousal abuse, often directed at their abdomens.