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Domestic violence and its effects
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Domestic Violence There are an alarming rate of women being battered in the US. However this does not exclude the men whom are a victims of domestic violence. Being in an abusive relationship can not only effect your physical and mental state, it can also have an economic impact. Men and women that are being abused may also have to deal with stalking, harassments, being rape or even murdered by their domestic partner. 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence. According to Safe Horizon’s Domestic Violence is defined as: “A pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, …show more content…
Because mom is struggling to survive, she is often not present for her children Because dad is so consumed with controlling everyone, he also is not present for his children. These children become physically, emotionally and psychologically abandoned.” They also go on to say, “Boys who witness their mothers’ abuse are more likely to batter their female partners as adults than boys raised in nonviolent homes. For girls, adolescence may result in the belief that threats and violence are the norm in relationships. Children from violent homes have higher risks of alcohol/drug abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and juvenile delinquency. Witnessing domestic violence is the single best predictor of juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. It is also the number one reason children run away.” In conclusion, the abuser will make excuses of why they act the way they do, it is always someone or something else is the cause. The abuser will always live in denial about their actions. The short and long term effects on the abused person and or children is lifelong well after they have freed themselves from the violence. A domestic violence victim will suffer not
The monsters that children who witness domestic violence have to deal with carry the reflection of their parents. Children who witness domestic violence face a dilemma because the children’s parents are at their most frightening when the child needs them the most. The security of the child is shattered as their protector becomes the attacker in reality and the child has nowhere to turn for help (Lieberman 2007).... ... middle of paper ...
Domestic Violence is a widely recognized issue here in the United States. Though many people are familiar with domestic violence, there are still many facts that people do not understand. Abuse is not just physical, it is mental, emotional, verbal, sexual and financial. Many victims of physical abuse are also fall victim to these abuse tactics as well. An abusive partner often uses verbal, mental, emotional, and financial abuse to break their partner so to speak. It is through this type of abuse the victim often feels as though they are not adequately meeting their partner’s needs.
In several cases the cause of the abuse can be linked to family relationship issues. In the novel Sickened, by Julie Gregory, Gregory recounts her childhood with a mother who was diagnosed with Munchausen By Proxy. She tells the readers that her “mother married at the tender age of nineteen.” Marrying him when she was young caused them to argue with each other and they did not have a genuine relationship. Soon after her first husband’s death it seemed as though she was very desperate to find another husband because she felt isolated and alone, she craved the attention of being in an intimate relationship. Her crave for attention was the fuel for her desire to make Julie sick. A parent is also more likely to mistreat their children if their spouse has very little, or no, input in the family’s activities which leaves it to the abusive parent to control everything. In another situation where family relationships could be an issue, a woman named “Shannon Hudson had been trying to break up with the boys’ [her sons’ abusive] father when he shot her three times. Then shot himself” (Burling A1+). The abuses that lead up to the husband getting angry and frustrated with his wife caused the violent act that was a result of their relationship failure.
The psychological effects that are created through abuse often create physical side effects as well. These psychological effects, such as anxiety and depression, could cause reoccurring headaches, loss of appetite, insomnia, and many other physical effects due to growing up with a heightened stress response. Even after the abuse ends, adult survivors of childhood abuse are at a higher risk for many long-term problems including “…chronic pain and fibromyalgia, gynecological problems, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, headaches, cardiovascular disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome”. Physical abuse usually causes more noticeable side effects than mental or emotional abuse, and they can also sometimes cause life-long problems. The longer the abuse occurs, the worse the repercussions will be. Long-term abuse can result in physical disabilities, brain damage, and even death. The amount of negative physical effects that come from childhood abuse show that the idea of positive physical effects coming from the situation as well is
Domestic violence (DV) is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Domestic violence can include physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and/or sexual abuse. Abusers may use pressure, fear, intimidation, separation, and other behaviors to gain and retain power over their victims.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is historically referred to as domestic violence. It describes a pattern of coercive and assaultive behavior that may include psychological abuse, progressive isolation, sexual assault, physical injury, stalking, intimidation, deprivation, and reproductive coercion among partners (The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), 1999). IPV leads to lifelong consequences such as lasting physical impairment, emotional trauma, chronic health problems, and even death. It is an issue effecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003). More than one in three women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2012). Thirty to sixty percent of perpetrators tend to also abuse children in the household (Edelson, 1999). Witnessing violence between parents or caretakers is considered the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next (Break the Cycle, 2006).
“Domestic violence is a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical harm, sexual assault, or fear of physical harm” (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). In most places, domestic violence is looked at as one of the higher priorities when trying to stop crime. Domestic violence cases are thought to be influenced by the use of alcohol, drugs, stress or anger, but in reality, they are just learned behaviors by the batterer. These habits can be stopped as long as one seeks help (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). For instance, a child is brought up in a household that is constantly involved in criminal acts.
In the article “The Mental Health of Children Who Witness Domestic Violence”, Meltzer et al. (2009) noted that domestic violence is not only limited to seeing the actual violent acts taking place, but it also includes witnessing the outcomes of the violence. These outcomes can include seeing their parent hurt and depressed, as well as noticing the broken objects left around the house. As well as defining domestic violence, Meltzer et al. (2009) discussed the steps that were taken to conduct a random research on families and children that had been exposed to domestic violence and those who had not. The researchers identified...
Abuse certainly has made its own list of effects. In the website, MentalHelp, they state “They may develop substance abuse disorders. If abuse has been very severe, the victim may ne traumatized, and may develop a posttraumatic stress injury such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or acute stress disorder (Comprehensive Mental Health and Mental Illness Information on Topics like Depression, Bipolar, Suicide, Anxiety, Addiction, Schizophrenia, and More).” With these effects being stated, this proves that abuse does not only effect someone physically, but also mentally. Abuse leaves a never-ending list of issues on someone. The effects that come with abuse go on and on. In the website, it also states “If abuse has occurred from a very early age and has been substantial, a personality disorder may occur (such as borderline, narcissistic, or histrionic personality disorders or in some cases, a severe dissociative disorder such as a dissociative identity disorder (commonly known as multiple personality disorder) (Marcia 1)”. The effects of abuse do leave a mark on someone. It can change them to a person they never thought they would be. Whether it may be a big bruise on the hip, or a poor mental state, abuse does leave a permanent scar. It might not last forever, but the memories of abuse last for a life time. Most abuse cases end in many trust issues or many mental issues. Most
The NCADV states, “1 in 15 Children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence”. These poor little souls who experience this level of terror every time they open their tiny eyes. Children are living in fear for, not only themselves, but most of them fear for the lives of both their siblings, if there are any, and their parents. Children who grow up in these types of environments are at higher risks to abuse, or be abused versus children who do not grow up in the midst of violence. “Abuse is a learned behavior,” says The Joyful Heart Foundation’s website, which also states, “Over 15 million children witness violence in their homes each year”. Furthermore, violence is a learned behavior. It will most likely take many years of therapy to turn back the hands of time and undo the habits that were taught to
Day after day, someone could be suffering because of it. And guess what? It is extremely hard to leave after the abuse has started because their abuser threatens to go to extreme measures if they were to leave. Some of these may include murder and homicide. Eventually, the stress may build up and they may find themselves having suicidal thoughts. All that it would take was one call, and everything could be fixed for them. I honestly don’t think someone could recover from violence like that, but the best thing that they could do is leave. Hopefully, once they do, they will have love and support from friends and other family waiting for them. The worst part is, sometimes there is no happy ending. The suffering goes on and on. This is quite sad because, in the end, there was nothing they could do. It wasn’t their fault. All of that could have happened because of one person. And that one person caused a loss for all of the victim’s friends and families. It is terrible, yet it happens. It all points towards 4 simple words that hardly anyone ever admits. Nobody ever stopped
Victims also have histories of resistant attachment, an overly controlling parent in child rearing and maternal overprotected parenting behaviors prompt anxiety, low self esteem and dependency resulting in a fearful demeanor that marks these children as vulnerable (Snyder, 2003).
For some, sexual harassment and assault seem almost like myths or bad dreams. For others, it's a living reality. The United States Department of Justice defines sexual assault as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” Sexual harassment and assault are demeaning, terrifying, and forceful behaviors. And yet, it’s happening every day.
Therefore, domestic violence is a form of oppression and control usually perpetrated against women and/or children and is defined by the social work dictionary as abuse of children, older people, spouses, and others in the home usually by another member of the family or other residents. The social problem in which one's property health or life are endangered or on as a result of the intentional behavior of another family member (Barker, 2003).
Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.