10.1177/0886260504269682 JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE / November 2004 Briere, Jordan / VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Violence Against Women Outcome Complexity and Implications for Assessment and Treatment JOHN BRIERE University of Southern California CAROL E. JORDAN University of Kentucky This article reviews the major forms of violence against women, including sexual assault, intimate-relationship violence, and stalking and outlines the known psycho- logical effects of such victimization. Also discussed are a number of variables that combine to determine the effects of such victimization, including type and character- istics of the assault; victim variables such as demographics, psychological reactions at the time of the trauma, previous victimization history, current or previous psycho- logical difficulties, and general coping style; and sociocultural factors such as pov- erty, social inequality, and inadequate social support. The implications of this com- plexity are explored in terms of psychological assessment and the frequent need for multitarget, multimodal treatment approaches. Keywords: violence against women; rape; assault; battering; assessment; treatment Interpersonal violence against women is virtually endemic in our society. It is estimated, for example, that 14% to 20% of women will experience rape at some point in their lives (Kilpatrick & Resnick, 1993; Koss, 1993; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000), 25% to 28% will be physically abused in a sexual-romantic relationship (Elliott & Briere, 2003; Strauss & Gelles, 1990), and 8% to 24% will be stalked by someone known or unknown to them (Sheridan, Blaauw, & Davies, 2003; Spitzberg, 2002; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). When added to the 25% to 35% likelihood that the average adult woman has been sexually abused as a child (Briere & Elliott, 2003; Finkelhor, Hotalling, Lewis, & Smith, 1990), the epidemiology of interpersonal violence against women is a pressing social issue. Equally of concern is the association between these various forms of inter- personal victimization and mental health issues in women. As is shown in 1252 JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, Vol. 19 No. 11, November 20041252-1276 DOI: 10.1177/0886260504269682 © 2004 Sage Publications