Domestic Violence And Its Impact
James Winnike
SWK 744
November 6, 2015
Introduction
Domestic violence (DV) includes many different behaviors that happen within an intimate partnership. While society often believes domestic violence is limited to only physical abuse, “[d]omestic violence and abuse includes physical abuse, threats, emotional abuse, sexual assault or stalking” (Litten, 2014). In the United States, DV is a reality that affects a large number of relationships (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). There are various physical and psychological effects of DV, it greatly increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the person who is being abused (Litten, 2014). Children and adolescence also face a high risk of effects, including an “increased risk of experiencing emotional, physical and sexual abuse, of developing emotional and behavioral problems and of increased exposure to the presence of other adversities in their lives” (Holt, Buckley, & Whelan, 2008). Resources will be listed in later chapters, but survivors of DV need to take care that their abusive partner does not find out that the survivor is seeking assistance; this can potentially lead to dangerous situations (Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2000). Service providers need to first discuss client safety when working with a client who is currently experiencing DV (Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2000).
Prevalence
In the United States, domestic violence is an epidemic that is often unseen (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). “More than one-third of women in the United States (35.6% or approximately 42.4 million) have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime... Approximately 5.9%, or almost 7.0 million women in the United States, reported experiencing these forms of violence by an intimate partner in the...