Prolonged Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Depressive Symptoms Among Korean Married Couples: The Intersection of Gender and Education

Abstract

This study investigates whether there is a longitudinal association between prolonged exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and depressive symptoms and whether this association differs depending on the intersection of gender and education. Using data collected from 3,285 individuals aged 30 to 49 across 12 waves of the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS) between 2009 and 2020, gender-by-education-stratified fixed-effects models were estimated. IPV victims continued to experience increased depressive symptoms for four or more consecutive years of exposure. However, gender-specific patterns were observed. Persistently victimized women continued to experience increased depressive symptoms for four or more years, whereas the levels of depressive symptoms among men with prolonged IPV exposure increased only until the second year of exposure. Gender-by-education stratified analyses suggested that low-educated women are the most vulnerable to prolonged IPV victimization. Only low-educated women experienced an increase in depressive symptoms for four or more consecutive years.