Psychological Consequences Of Domestic Violence

This is because the bodies tasked with creating awareness will adequately inform the victims, perpetrators, as well as the general public on the identification and effects of domestic violence, and the prevention strategies of domestic violence between intimate partners. At the same time, it will be instrumental in pooling together affirmative actions that are necessary in reducing any further occurrences of domestic violence between intimate partners. Domestic Violence especially between intimate partners is linked to a multitude of negative social and health outcomes. When it comes to this type of domestic violence, women are more affected than men. As such, it is women that report more severe injuries as a result of the violence they face. The cycle of domestic violence between intimate partners describes a pattern of recurring violence, as well as the tendency for violence to keep escalating over time. Therefore, one of the most unwanted effects of domestic violence is homicide. Women are more likely to seek support whenever they experience violence. However, this is not always possible because such women are faced with various barriers when accessing services, which ultimately affect their decisions to remain or leave an abusive relationship. Such barriers include stigma, racism, as well as gender discrimination that further limit their access to numerous services and compromise their health and

There is a social assumption regarding cases of domestic violence which are often stigmatized by the media and by the overall perception of the impact on the victims. The abuser is often stereotyped as a man who is a crazed psychopath with violent tendencies. This stereotype, while correct in the physical impact of what occurs in most violent perpetrators, does not include the mental health impact on all parties involved when domestic violence occurs. This impact is not only influential on the survivors and children of domestic violence; it is also important to recognize the impact of domestic violence on the mental health of the abuser.

According to Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts (2015), “domestic violence victims face high rates of depression, sleep disturbances, anxiety, flashbacks, and other emotional distress” and “children exposed to domestic violence at home are more likely to have health problems, including becoming sick more often, having frequent headaches or stomachaches, and being more tired and lethargic” (Safe Horizon,

First, when looking at the victim of domestic violence we will see long-term effects in their behavior and their physical wellbeing. The victim is most likely to experience depression, PTSD, and dissociation. My mother is a perfect example for all three of these. She battles depression

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or domestic violence (DV) reportedly affects more than 5 million Americans each year (Goodley & Fowler, 2006). IPV is the most common cause of nonfatal injury to women it the United States (U.S.). It is an ongoing issue that was first widely recognized as a major societal concern in the 1970’s (Nicholls &Hamel 2015). It is a significant problem with critical consequences for an individuals overall health and well-being. IPV not only has acute effects but lifelong implications as well. It is not limited to one group but crosses all barriers, it has an effect on both genders, people of all ages, all races, all cultures, all educational levels and all socio-economical backgrounds. Although, IPV affects both genders, this paper will focus primarily on women. It will seek to examine the repercussions of IPV on the victim’s health as well as children exposed to IPV. This topic is important to discuss in order to reduce the occurrence of IPV and to be able to better support victims of IPV. It is not a problem that can be solved overnight or with one specific intervention, but must be addressed through a collaborative effort from individuals within a community.

Victims or witnesses of domestic violence often develop mental disorders, such as anger management, intermittent explosive disorder, depression and anxiety. That is only a few of the many disorders that someone could have due to tragic situations. Several of these disabilities require therapy, medications, and other treatments (“Why Do People Abuse?”). Treatments could take long periods of time and the person possibly could never be the

When caring for patients with patients who experience trauma, we should understand the sources of trauma and how they interact within and between individuals and relate to health and healthcare utilization. Violence and abuse have impacts on personal health through emotional trauma which can lead to stress related and mental health conditions, and also through direct tissue injuries which can result in morbidity and mortality. One can develop mental and physical disorders through a lot of proposed mechanisms that are violence specific when exposed to severe and chronic violence and abuse. Studies believe that there is a strong relationship between childhood exposures to violence and abuse and risk for poor health related outcomes in adulthood. Studies also show that boys and girls who are experiencing intimate partner violence are at high risk of suffering long term negative behavioral and health consequences such as depression, suicide attempt, cigarette smoking, and marijuana; they are more likely to engage in risky sexual and unhealthy diet

Intimate partner violence is a worldwide issue. A study by World Health Organization of lifetime prevalence rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women from nine countries reported rates that ranged from 19 to 66 percent. Studies conducted in Iran report IPV prevalence rates between 47% and 81%. Despite the fact that IPV has short and long term destructive consequences, some battered women live their entire life in abusive relationship, but some are able to leave violent relationships and move ahead in their lives.

“Domestic Violence: Long-term Effect of Domestic Violence.” Welcome to the Clark Prosecuting Attorneys Office http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/effects.htm

Just as there are different forms of the issue, there becomes separate categories of signs and symptoms as well. As “each individual is unique; responses to trauma may vary” (Women’s Resource). Emotionally, many victims experience depression, anxiety, fear, and self-blame. Behavioral changes can include withdrawal, flashbacks, and mood swings. Many individuals may socially begin to isolate themselves and experience a difficulty in trusting others. Aside from physical results from domestic violence, other symptoms can involve sleep deprivation, somatic complaints, headaches, and chronic health problems. Each individual can experience a different set of effects and it is important to be aware of the signs in order to help and report the incident of yourself or that of someone else. While there are many personal battles of domestic violence that continue to go unnoticed and unresolved, multiple organizations have risen up to face the issue and offer as much help as

Domestic violence has led to poor health among the victims. They experience physical pain and several injuries. (Harne, 2008, p.39).

It then leads to more problems and causes further problems for the child which drag into adulthood. According to the sources at the Domestic Violence Roundtable, (2008), “Psychological effects hinder and prevent healthy development of the child’s physical health and the child becomes more likely to become an abuser” (para 7). Children can develop stress-related illnesses such as headaches and stomachaches which can lead to more serious illnesses if treatment or therapy is not implemented in time. This is due mostly because of the trauma that children experience; trauma is the cause of psychological effects and usually cannot be avoided in cases of domestic violence. The physical and mental aspect of psychological effects comes from trauma, as it tends to have a very heavy affect on children. Trauma is a form of a mental sickness, and due to the child’s inability to cope with the trauma, they experience these physical symptoms. Often these symptoms turn into lifelong illnesses that cannot ever be completely cured (“American Family Physician,” 2009, para.

Domestic Violence has horrific outcomes for most victims that inflict psychological, emotional, and physical pain. According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control, “nearly three in every

It really is no wonder then that battered and abused women suffer from mental and social disorders as a direct result from their ordeals. Abuse has severe and lifelong consequences even after the abuse stops. Negative, physical health problems in addition to death and physical injury, have been reported as follows: autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, obesity, pulmonary problems, , severe headaches and/or migraines, sexually transmitted diseases, sleep disorders, somatic syndromes and an overall higher dependence on healthcare services. The psychological health problems related to intimate partner violence are depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Scott-Storey 2011). It has also been found that 51% of women who attempted suicide had a history of intimate partner violence (Renner and Markward 2009).

There are many forms of domestic violence, some abuse can be very noticeable, and others may be hidden very easily or never even seen. All forms of abuse cause extreme trauma to the victim. According to Sexual Violence Victimization, “Almost one-third of women experience physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime” (7). And over 80% of women have reported that they have been verbally abused by their significant other (Shorey, Zucosky, Brasfield, Febres, Cornelius, Sage, and Stuart 289- 296). Girls are petrified, and with the massive amount of abuse, roughly 4 million women were found to have been suffering physical abuse by their boyfriend or husband annually (Black, Basile, Breiding, Smith, Walters, Merrick, Chen, & Stevens). Sexual Assault is one form of domestic violence. Over half of rapes are made by the ladies boyfriend or spouse, said in