The Lifelong Affects and Consequences of Domestic Violence

There are many different types of abuse and individual cases of abuse usually involve a different combination of these different types.

The prevalence of domestic violence in the United States is that it is occurring far more often than many individuals would choose to admit. This form of violence is by no means new and culturally the problem itself does not discriminate, there is no specific criteria that completely omits one from becoming a victim of domestic violence. The dynamics of domestic violence consist of the aggressor utilizing violence to maintain dominance and control over the victim. The victimization that is consistent with domestic violence can come in various forms including, physical, sexual, psychological, mental/emotional, and financial. Domestic violence victimization is a cycle that usually is difficult to terminate by many victims as well as aggressors. Individuals involved in abusive relationships continue to remain in them for various reasons such as, maintaining financial stability, desire or hope that things will change overtime, fear that their abuser, will further harm them for leaving the relationship, embarrassment of their situation, or there may be children involved and the victims wants to avoid some of the harsh realities associated with a broken home. Oftentimes domestic violence victims blame themselves for the violence encountered by their abusers, figuring that if they do things differently the next time, maybe they won’t be victimized again by their partner. Conversely, violence committed by abusers is often self-driven and hinges on very minor actions executed by the

The abuse is usually frequent enough that the victim internalizes it. This leaves the victim feeling fearful, insignificant, untrusting, emotionally needy, and unlovable. Survivors of this form of abuse have a hard time understanding why they feel so bad (Munro, K. 2001.).

In addition, another factor to look at is how many times were they referred to get a protection form abuse order and how long did it take them to actually get the order. Did the victim wait until things got to the point where he physically hurt her before getting the order? Or did she go as soon as she felt threatened?

Domestic violence has long term and short term effects on victims. “Victims may abuse alcohol or drugs and experience depression, eating disorders, or other types of psychological distress” (Gelles). Long term effects could be that they go through depression, begin to abuse alcohol or drugs, or suffer through eating disorders. Being a victim and if they run they have to be aware of their surroundings to make sure that they are not following them.They might not trust anyone for a long time and that could cause them to go through these things because they do not have anyone to talk to.

Physical abuse not only effects a person's current state of mind, but it effects them throughout their life.

Domestic violence victims should leave the perpetrator, who committed violent acts against them is an easy phrase that is commonly used for individuals that has never experienced domestic violence. On average there are approximately twenty people that are abused by an intimate partner per minute, and this alarming statistic affects almost ten million people a year. There many alarming stats about domestic violence, however what is being done for the victims and other family members who options is not as simple as packing their bags and leave in search of a new life. Prior to victims leaving their abuser, if they make it out alive, they are faced with confusing inclinations that may prevent them from finding an escape. Although victims are

I know from personal experience the damages that can come from a violent and abusive personal relationship. Emotional Abuse is a form of abuse, characterized by a person subjecting, or exposing, another person to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Intimate partner violence in its worst form is mentally abuse. Stalking in a personal relationship can bring on not only emotional abuse but also mental abuse.

Domestic violence has a significant effect on a child psychological mindset, whether the child is the victim of domestic violence or is strictly the witness of these actions. Nevertheless, domestic violence can certainly cause a child to become fearful and anxious around certain individuals, which eventually causes a child to lose trust in specific figures in their life.

Domestic violence is a hidden epidemic that lurks behind closed doors and is rarely talked about or discussed openly. Domestic violence and pregnancy combine for a high risk pregnancy. As a healthcare provider

The first question that people always ask in the context of domestic abuse is “why didn’t [s]he just leave?” To an outside observer, it seems obvious that the easiest solution to ending the domestic abuse is to exit the relationship. But the truth is that the dynamics and intricacies of the relationship may make it extremely difficult, and oftentimes dangerous, for the victim to leave his or her abuser. An abusive relationship is marked by a pattern of abuse and control over the victim by the abuser. Although physical abuse is the most obvious sign of abuse, abuse is not limited to physical manifestations and can assume mental or economic forms (Power and control wheel, 1984). For example, an abuser can use economic abuse in the form of preventing

Domestic violence is a topic that is under discussed and people need to be more educated on it. The impact of abuse cannot only harm the victim, but can also impact the lives of those in the victim’s life. During our class discussion, Christae stated, “ Most abuse occurs for the first time while a woman is pregnant”. This statement made me question how being abused while pregnant could ultimately affect the victim. I came across a study conducted by Chan et al. (2012) that analyzed the idea that violence against a pregnant woman cannot only affect herself, but also the child that she is carrying. This study had two main objectives which were to assess the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) against pregnant women who have exhibited child abuse and neglect (CAN), as well as addressing the link between mediation and intervention of IPV and subsequent CAN.

In addition to physical violence, there are many ways that an abuser can victimize a partner. The abuse often

An estimated 10-50% of women experience physical or sexual abuse by their partner at some point in their lives. (World health organization) Out of each emergency room visit for injuries, 25-30% was there for domestic-violence related problems. (Hansen,2014) Domestic violence is a serious issue that has been a top priority for mental health professionals for some time now. Exposure to domestic violence can have long-term mental health effects on the victim. Various types of groups are being used in treating survivors of domestic violence that include support groups, time-limited groups, and long-term groups. This group proposal describes a long-term support group designed for women to tell their story about their experiences with domestic violence. The research shows women respond effectively and develop a prolonged power to heal when they are given the opportunity to share experiences of recovery and survival with each other. (Fearday,2004)

Domestic violence is also associated with other mental health problems such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Women who are abused suffer an increased risk of unplanned or early pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. As trauma victims, they are also at an increased risk of substance abuse. According to a U.S. study, women who experience intimate partner abuse are three times more likely to have gynecological problems than non-abused women. From Violence against Women: Effects on Reproductive Health, Outlook, vol. 20, no. 1 (September 2002). Other evaluations have shown that there are significant obstetric risk factors associated with domestic violence. Abused women are more likely to have a history of sexually transmitted disease infections, vaginal and cervical infections, kidney infections, and bleeding during pregnancy. These can also be all of which are risk factors for pregnant women. Abused women are more likely to delay prenatal care and are less likely to receive antenatal care.