"It Went to the Very Heart of Who I Was as a Woman": The Invisible Impacts of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

Abstract

Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) sits within the intersection of intimate partner violence and sexual violence. It is prevalent, yet poorly understood. Research consistently shows that IPSV is associated with many mental and physical health issues although the mental health aspects are often the most damaging. Despite this, there is poor understanding of the mechanisms through which IPSV causes trauma and poor mental health. To address this gap, I used interpretative phenomenological analysis of n = 38 in-depth interviews with women in Australia to explore their lived experiences of IPSV. The essence of IPSV was described as "Being attacked from the inside out" and comprised four them..