Domestic Violence is a Social Issue

Domestic violence is a social issue that affects people, families, and the society where they live. The public awareness and understanding of domestic violence have greatly increased over the last few decades. This understanding has brought to the surface the occurrence of families suffering in violent surroundings. This new understanding has given rise to many resources, agencies, and services designed to combat the harmful and lasting effects of domestic violence and to give aid to its victims.

Over the past couple of decades, domestic violence has seen an increase even with the amount of commercials, groups and associations trying to reverse it. While I might add this is a disgrace, what brings a man to hit his partner is beyond me, but it is still an issue. While the usage of drugs like cocaine and heroin is at the point of decline in specific parts of the globe, alcohol misuse is dramatically increasing. Domestic violence which is also known as domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, and spousal abuse, all of which are the same but can sometimes include a child leading to child abuse. Consequently, is known as abusive behaviors and can be achieved by either just one or both of the partners in the relationship, but the majority of the time it involves the male. Examples of close relationships include dating, family, married couples, and close friends. Domestic violence takes many forms such as physical violence or abuse such as control, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, threatening, isolation, verbal abuse (coercion, blame) male privilege and economic abuse and blackmail. These manipulations if continuously repetitive can lead to self-harm (cutting oneself), mental illness (post-traumatic stress) and an attempted suicide. With post-traumatic stress from a relationship comes the negative view of men due to poor experience.

In trial investigations men from a Domestic Violence Treatment program gave way to a statistic that marital violence was eight times more likely to happen on a when the husband or significant other had used alcohol than on a completely sober day, no surprise there. Not just alcohol but drugs are also linked to spouse violence. In an experiment of 151 court stated batterers, about 20% had used cocaine throughout the past year or so and about 55% had used marijuana. A considerable number of these drug users were quite regular consumers, with about 25% of them using marijuana at minimum four times a week. In addition to distinguishing between drug use and abuse, the effect of alcohol has to be separated from drug use since the majority of abusers of illegal drugs also use legal drugs, including prescription and alcohol. Monitoring for the use of alcohol and other drugs use discovered that drug use conduct remained an independent factor of partner violence.

An epidemic of domestic violence and the penalties for the victim has been closely studied through numerous situations. It is stated that repeated verbal abuse, such as name calling, condescension, criticism, degradation, manipulation, blame, accusations, withholding, threats, and so on are harmful. Any form of this type of abuse has a catastrophic long-term undesirable effect on a woman's self-esteem and enhances the sensation of pointlessness, insignificance, and fault. An ill-treated woman can feel abandoned and secluded, as jealousy, controlling (not allowing them to leave or do anything without permission) and questioning about locations and activities are controlling actions that can brutally restrict a female partner's individuality and independence, this public isolation may leave her reliant on her abuser for social contact and the necessities of life, which creates vicious cycle that gets worse and worse. Emotional abuse can have serious psychological and physical costs for women, including extreme depression, which can lead to attempted suicide, anxiety, bodily stress, constant headaches, and weak immune system.

To many people there is a simple solution to this problem, just leave. Well it isn't that simple. In conclusion, the use of substance abuse like alcohol and drugs is frequent in marital couples. Domestic violence has always been an issue and will most likely continue. Although illegal drugs which were a large factor has gone down, alcohol is still a large contributing factor.

Citations

Behavioral couples therapy for drug-abusing patients: Effects on partner violence; Fals-Stewart, W.; Kashdan, M.; O'Farrell, T. J.; Birchler, G. R. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment; 2002 Vol. 22, 10p.

The occurrence of partner physical aggression on days of alcohol consumption: A longitudinal diary study; Fals-Stewart, W. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology; 2003 Vol. 71, 12p.

Drug abuse and partner violence among women in methadone treatment; El-Bassel, N.; Gilbert, L.; Schilling, RF; Wada, T. J Fam Viol; 2000 Vol. 15, 20p.

Addressing intimate partner violence in substance-abuse treatment; Fals-Stewart, W.; Kennedy, C. J Subst Abuse Treat; 2005 Vol. 29, p5-17, 13p.

Alcoholism and Domestic Abuse: Finding Help - AlcoholRehabGuide

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