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Domestic violence is a broad term that indicates
violence in close or intimate interpersonal relationships.
This violence is known by many names: intimate partner violence,
wife abuse, wife battering, spousal abuse, woman abuse, etc.
Some define the term domestic violence even broader to include
child abuse, elder abuse, or any close interpersonal relationship.
Put simply it is when one person purposely causes either physical
or mental harm to another when they are in a close personal
relationship. For the purposes of this course the term intimate
partner violence/domestic violence (IPV/DV) will be used.
The course will also use the pronouns "she" and "her", but
the learner is reminded that although statistically more women
are abused by men, this violence can also occur at the hands
of women towards their male partners, and among same-gender
partners.
It is also important to remember that abuse
rarely occurs in just one form; more frequently forms of abuse
occur in combinations. A woman who is physically abused is
also likely isolated and controlled by her partner; a woman
who is abused sexually may also be stalked and emotionally
abused.
IPV/DV is a serious, preventable public health
problem affecting more than 32 million Americans (Tjaden &
Thoennes, 2000). It occurs on a continuum, ranging from one
hit that may or may not significantly impact the victim, to
chronic, repeated abuse which is also known as battering (CDC,
2005b).
There are four main types of IPV/DV (Saltzman,
et al., 2002):
Physical violence is the intentional use of
physical force with the potential for causing death,
disability, injury, or harm. Physical violence includes,
but is not limited to: scratching, pushing, shoving,
throwing, grabbing, biting, choking, shaking, slapping,
punching, burning, use of a weapon, and use of restraints
or one's body, size, or strength against another person.
Sexual violence is divided into three categories:
- Use of physical force to compel a person to engage
in a sexual act against his or her will, whether
or not the act is completed;
- Attempted or completed sex act involving a person
who is unable to understand the nature or condition
of the act, to decline participation, or to communicate
unwillingness to engage in the sexual act, e.g.,
because of illness, disability, or the influence
of alcohol or other drugs, or because of intimidation
or pressure; and
- Abusive sexual contact.
Threats of physical or sexual violence use
words, gestures, or weapons to communicate the intent
to cause death, disability, injury, or physical harm.
Psychological/emotional violence involves
trauma to the victim caused by acts, threats of acts,
or coercive tactics. Psychological/emotional abuse
can include, but is not limited to, humiliating the
victim, controlling what the victim can and cannot
do, withholding information from the victim, deliberately
doing something to make the victim feel diminished
or embarrassed, isolating the victim from friends
and family, and denying the victim access to money
or other basic resources. It is considered psychological/emotional
violence when there has been prior physical or sexual
violence or prior threat of physical or sexual violence.
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Stalking is often included among the
types of IPV/DV. Stalking generally refers to repeated behavior
that causes victims to feel a high level of fear (Tjaden &
Thoennes, 2000). Stalking can be very traumatic and cause
emotional stress. Victims of stalking may have nightmares;
feel out of control; have trouble sleeping, eating, and concentrating;
or feel vulnerable or depressed. Stalking can also cause financial
stress if the victim loses time from work or can't go to work
(USDHHS, 2005c).
One out of every 12 women has been stalked at some time in
her life. The National Center for Victims of Crime defines
stalking as "virtually any unwanted contact between two people
that directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places
the victim in fear.." Examples may include (USDHHS, 2005c):
- Following a person;
- Appearing at a person's home or place of business;
- Making harassing phone calls;
- Leaving written messages or objects;
- Vandalizing a person's property.
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The majority of stalking victims are between 18 and 39 years
old. The most common type of stalking is by a person in a
former personal or romantic relationship, like an ex-husband;
only a small number of women are stalked by strangers (USDHHS,
2005c).
Statistics about IPV/DV vary because of differences in how
different data sources define IPV/DV and collect data. For
example, some definitions include stalking and psychological
abuse, and others consider only physical and sexual violence.
Legal definitions vary from state to state. Data on IPV/DV
usually come from police, clinical settings, nongovernmental
organizations, and survey research (CDC, 2005).
Continue on to Defining
the Problem, Con't.
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