Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Effect of Domestic Violence on Society

Physical abuse involves inflicting pain on another person, such as slapping, punching, pushing, choking, kicking or throwing things that will cause physical pain.  The result of physical abuse is physical pain that can sometimes be noticed by others such as bruises, black eyes, scratches, broken bones, teeth knocked out, injuries to internal organs and even death.  Physical abuse can also cause psychological effects on an individual making them fearful of their partner, severely depressed, problems with sleeping because of nightmares, anxiety and many more issues.
Psychological abuse involves threatening, harassing and coercive control among other things.  Coercive control is “a pattern of behavior which one partner aims to control the other though a wide range of tactics, only some of which involve physical force” (Pilafova & Bennett-Cattaneo, 2010).  Victims of psychological abuse have difficulty concentrating which can lead to performance issues at work or school. Drug and alcohol abuse may also become a factor because they are trying to escape the reality of what is going on.  The most serious of all is suicide or attempted suicide when an individual feels that death is the only way to escape the abuse.
When an individual becomes the victim of domestic violence removing them from that environment and seeking shelter elsewhere can have an economic effect because many shelters are non-profit organizations that rely on government funding that ultimately comes from taxpayers.  Many victims of domestic violence that resort to seeking shelter also will need financial assistance to help during their transition.  The financial situation of victims of domestic violence has the most effect on society because society has to assume the role of caring for these individuals until it is safe for them to care for themselves.
Children are affected by domestic violence is many different ways.  A child can sustain injuries during an attack either deliberately or by accident.  Children who either witness abuse or are abused themselves can become traumatized emotionally resulting in behavior problems.  Children who witness abuse “have higher than average rates of substance abuse, suicide, problems in school, violent and aggressive behavior, sleep disorders, enuresis, and chronic somatic disorders” (Eisenstat & Bancroft, 1999).
  



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