New York, Sep 16 (IANS): Intimate partner violence not only triggers psychological problems but may also lead towards developing physical symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome (IMC) and insomnia, warns new research led by an Indian-origin scientist.

Vijay Singh, a clinical lecturer at the University of Michigan Medical School, also found that one in five men in the US reports violence towards their spouse or significant other.

When people think of men who abuse their partners, they often think of violent people who they have never come across, or people they have only heard about in the news.

"Our study showed one out of every five men in the US reported physical violence toward an intimate partner. It is likely that we have all met these men in our daily environment. This is an issue that cuts across all communities, regardless of race, income, or any other demographics," Singh explained.

The study found that more than half of the men who reported violence toward a partner had at least one routine health visit over the last year and nearly one third noted at least one emergency room visit over the last year.

The analysis also found that male aggression toward a partner is associated with other warning signs like substance abuse and a history of either experiencing or witnessing violence as a child.

The nationally-representative sample included 530 men with an average age of 42. Roughly 78 percent were non-Hispanic white, 56 percent were educated beyond high school and 84 percent were employed.

The findings appeared in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.