Understanding intimate partner violence dynamics using mixed methods.

Trauma research has employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, but only recently, have mixed method studies begun to appear in the trauma literature. The purpose of this case series was to demonstrate the value of mixed method approaches to studying dynamics among cases involving intimate partner violence (IPV). Of the 16 women in abusive relationships who completed daily reports of the household violence and environment over an 8-week period, three cases were chosen for discussion because they provided near complete quantitative data, rich qualitative data, and a "clear" dynamic pattern. These three cases demonstrate that, through the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, a rich picture of individual IPV dynamics can be obtained, often unique to the marital relationship and context.