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Home » Consumer Information » Trauma

Domestic Violence

When consistent spousal abuse is utilized by one partner to maintain an advantage of power and control over the other, this is considered domestic violence. Domestic violence can come in the form of physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological threats or carried out actions. Any of these behaviors may be intended to:

  • Bully
  • Influence
  • Disgrace
  • Isolate
  • Terrify
  • Terrorize
  • Persuade
  • Menace
  • Blame
  • Hurt
  • Harm
  • Wound

Types of domestic abuse

The five major types of domestic abuse include:

  • Physical abuse -- includes striking, slapping, pushing, grabbing, pinching, biting, pulling hair, etc. Rarer forms of physical abuse include preventing a partner from receiving medical attention for sustained injuries or making them take part in alcohol or drug use against their will.
  • Sexual abuse -- demanding sexual conduct without your partner's agreement. Some more common themes of sexual abuse include rape, molestation, forced sex after a violent attack, and addressing your partner in a sexually degrading manner.
  • Emotional abuse -- demeaning your partner for the purpose of lowering the person's self-esteem. Methods used to accomplish this may include continuous denigration, name-calling, or disrupting one's relationship with offspring by persuading them to side against your spouse.
  • Economic abuse -- forcing financial dependence upon a partner by monopolizing economic resources. Examples may include cutting off total access to funds or inhibiting your partner's enrollment in school or attendance at work.
  • Psychological abuse -- instilling fear through intimidation. This may include threatening to hurt oneself, spouse, children, or family or friends, harming pets and personal belongings, or confining them from family, friends, education, and/or employment.

Domestic violence affects anyone despite race, age, sexual preference, religion, gender, financial class, and educational background; it can happen in straight and homosexual relationships and to partners who are married, sharing the same household, or simply dating. Aside from the obvious destruction to the abused partner, domestic violence can have a considerable effect on family, friends, coworkers, the general community, and whoever else may be witness to such abuse. Children who grow up in an abusive household can suffer long-term effects because it skews their outlook on what treatment and behavior is acceptable in society. Since violence appears to be a fixture in life, these children are predisposed to become the next generation or domestic abusers and victims.

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