Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an increasing concern all over the world, even in more gender equal countries such as Sweden. IPV is closely tied to poor health outcomes, including depression, which is one of the major mental health problems among women. Previous studies have suggested that social support may mitigate the association between IPV and depression. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of social support in the association between IPV and depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Swedish women aged 18-74. Method: This cross-sectional study was based on data from a survey conducted in 2012. Associations between exposure to IPV and current depressive symptoms as well as social support and sociodemographic background factors were analysed using Pearson’s chi-square, followed by logistic regression analyses in which models were adjusted for social support and background factors. Results: The prevalence of IPV and depressive symptoms were 24.1% and 8.6%, respectively. The odds of depressive symptoms among victims of IPV compared to non-victims decreased from 3.026 (CI 2.498-3.665, p-value ˂.001) to 2.404 (CI 1.965-2.942, p-value ˂.001) after adjusting for social support and to 2.224 (CI 1.790-2.764, p-value ˂.001) after adding background factors. Conclusions: Women exposed to IPV were more likely to develop symptoms of depression in comparison to unexposed women. Adjusting for social support weakened the association between IPV and depressive symptoms suggesting a beneficial interaction either directly or indirectly. The results suggest that interventions targeting IPV, and its consequences may be more effective if social support is promoted.