30.2%
of women
reported psychological aggression by an intimate partner during their lifetime, representing about 38.6 million women.
Source: CDC, 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data BriefU.S. reference page · Updated August 4, 2026
Emotional abuse and intimate partner violence statistics
Current U.S. data on psychological aggression, coercive control, and other forms of harm in intimate relationships.
Emotional abuse is a common, plain-language term. The CDC measures related experiences through psychological aggression, including expressive aggression, coercive control, and entrapment. The statistics below use that CDC language so each number can be traced back to the original source.
27.2%
of women
reported one or more forms of coercive control and entrapment by an intimate partner during their lifetime.
Source: CDC, 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief18.6%
of women
reported that an intimate partner kept track of them by demanding to know where they were and what they were doing.
Source: CDC, 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief4.4M
women in one year
experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in the 12 months before the survey, equal to 3.4% of women.
Source: CDC, 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief22.3%
of men
reported psychological aggression by an intimate partner during their lifetime, representing nearly 27.3 million men.
Source: CDC, 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief13.9%
of men
reported that an intimate partner kept track of them by demanding to know where they were and what they were doing.
Source: CDC, 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data BriefWhat the data measures
Psychological aggression can include more than insults or arguments.
In the CDC survey, psychological aggression includes expressive aggression and tactics of coercive control or entrapment. The survey asks about experiences such as controlling access to money, trying to isolate someone from friends or family, tracking their movements, threats, and making decisions that should be their own.
Sources and methodology
How to read this page
All figures on this page come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2023/2024 Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief, published in 2026. The figures are national estimates from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.
For the survey’s scope and definitions, see the CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey overview. This page is reviewed monthly and refreshed when the CDC publishes newer relevant data.
Suggested citation
Jami Saperstein Counseling. “Emotional Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence Statistics.” Updated August 4, 2026. https://jamisaperstein.com/intimate-partner-violence-statistics
Looking for support?
Therapy can be a place to make sense of what happened.
Jami offers virtual therapy for adults in Florida and Virginia who are healing from emotionally abusive relationships.
Learn about emotional abuse therapy