Download and review Criminal Justice System Response to Intimate Partner Violence Victims: Developing a Research Agenda Meeting (pdf, 37 page). Historically called domestic violence, intimate partner violence describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples. Violence by an intimate partner is linked to both immediate and long-term health, social, and economic consequences. Factors at all levels â individual, relationship, community, and societal â contribute to intimate partner violence. Preventing intimate partner violence requires reaching a clear understanding of those factors, coordinating resources, and fostering and initiating change in individuals, families, and society.