Domestic violence towards women is frequently hidden and prolonged. Domestic violence is both a direct and an indirect risk factor for physical and mental health problems, and is associated with increased health care utilization. Intimate partner violence affects the person, his/her family, and society as a whole.

In a cross sectional case series study, 100 women with the experience of domestic violence, who were inhabitants of Bushehr Province, were evaluated in 1999. The sampling method was snow ball method. A questionnaire was filled out by interview. Physical, emotional (verbal abuse, criticism, threats, intimidation) and ethical violence (inhibiting birth control, and referring to physicians) were assessed.

49.4% of the women's spouses had lower than high school diploma educations. All the victims had experienced the three aspects of violence. The duration of violence was more than two years in more than half of them. 50.6 % of the women had experienced severe violence. All the women had symptoms of physical, behavioral, personal, social, and psychological problems. Social isolation (38%), headache (50%), nightmares (25%), misbehavior with children (39%), and irritability (32%) were the most common manifestations. Fearful of losing their children (23%), shamed by what is happening to them (19%) and loss of knowledge (17%) were the most common reasons that they kept it to themselves.

The women in our survey experienced high rates of severe lifetime violence. International, national, and municipal commitments are necessary to combat domestic violence.