Intimate Partner Violence: Consequences of Victimization, Causes of abuse,

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Intimate Partner Violence Consequences of
Victimization, Causes of abuse, Risk Factors

• Dr. Michelle L. Meloy

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Consequences of IPV

• Physical ranging from bruises, broken bones,
  STDs to death
• Psychological ranging from depression, anxiety
  low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts to PTSD
• Social stigma isolation from family, friends,
  resources
• At-risk behaviors female dv victims engage in an
  array of high-risk activities
• Economic 2003 macro-level estimates exceed 8
  billion per year

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Broad groupings of schools of thought on the
etiology of IPV

• Psychological or psychiatric problems
• Personality mood disorders behavioral traits
• Hormonal, genetic neurological explanations
• Testosterone levels, DNA questions head injury
  or birth related trauma
• Sociological family violence factors
• Hegemonic value systems, subculture of violence,
  poverty, cultural attitudes, exposure to
  violence, intergenerational transmission

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At-risk populations for IPV

• Female
• Young
• Poor
• Same-sex male couples
• Hispanic women are at increased risk of some
  forms of IPV
• American Indians Alaskan native women
  experience much more IPV than other racial groups

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Individual victimization risk factors

• Prior history of IPV
• Being female
• Young age
• Heavy alcohol and drug use
• High-risk sexual behavior
• Witnessing or experiencing violence as a child
• Being less educated
• Unemployment
• For men, having a different ethnicity from their
  partners
• For women, having a greater education level than
  their partners
• For women, being American Indian/Alaska Native or
  African American
• For women, having a verbally abusive, jealous, or
  possessive partner

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Relationship victimization risk factors

• Couples with income, educational, or job status
  disparities, especially when women hold the
  higher paying job or the more socially respected
  position
• Male partner is domineering and controlling
• Male partner holds traditional views of women and
  womens role in marriage and motherhood

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Community level victimization risk factors

• Poor urban areas.
• Limited resources or little social capital in the
  surrounding communities
• Lack of institutions, relationships, and norms
  that shape the quality and quantity of a
  communitys social interactions
• Weak community sanctions against IPV (e.g.,
  police neighbors unwilling to intervene)

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Individual offender risk factors

• Low self-esteem
• Low income
• Low academic achievement
• Involvement in aggressive or delinquent behavior
  as a youth
• Heavy alcohol and drug use
• Depression
• Anger and hostility
• Personality disorders
• Prior history of being physically abusive

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Individual offender risk factors (cont)

• Having few friends and being isolated from other
  people
• Unemployment
• Economic stress
• Emotional dependence and insecurity
• Belief in strict gender roles (e.g., male
  dominance and aggression in relationships)
• Desire for power and control in relationships
• Being a victim of physical or psychological abuse
  (consistently one of the strongest predictors of
  perpetration)

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Relationship offending risk factors

• Marital conflictfights, tension, and other
  struggles
• Marital instabilitydivorces and separations
• Dominance and control of the relationship by the
  male
• Economic stress
• Unhealthy family relationships and interactions

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Community level offending risk factors

• Poor urban areas
• Limited resources in the immediate area
• Dismissive response by law enforcement and
  victim-blaming attitude of tolerance by
  community members
• What are some other reasons that help explain why
  IPV is over-represented in poorer areas?