Chapter 13 Violence And Abuse In Relationships

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Chapter 13Violence And Abuse In Relationships

• Definitions of Violence, Abuse and Neglect
• Abuse In Dating/Marriage Relationships
• Violence In Relationships
• Effects Of Abuse
• Cycle of Abuse
• Child Abuse
• Parent, Sibling and Elder Abuse

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Examples of Physical Abuse

• Pushing, grabbing or shoving.
• Throwing something at partner.
• Slapping, hitting
• Forcing sex on partner.

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Examples of Emotional Abuse

• Threatening to leave partner.
• Controlling whom the partner associates with.
• Cutting off partner from family.
• Controlling the money to ensure dependence.
• Refusing to talk to partner.
• Accusing partner of infidelity.

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Abuse In Dating Relationships

• 30 of individuals report abuse in dating.
• Abuse occurs in heterosexual and homosexual
  relationships
• Many abused spouses report their partner never
  mistreated them during dating and courtship.

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Forms of Violence Against Women

• Common couple violence Response to conflicts of
  everyday life, motivated by a need to control in
  the specific situation.
• Patriarchal terrorism Man feels he must control
  woman completely because he thinks he owns her.

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Violence in Relationships

• Cultural Explanations
• American society imbued with violence.
• Corporal punishment increases violence in childs
  life as an adult.
• Traditional gender roles teach men to be
  aggressive and women to be submissive.

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Violence in Relationships

• Community Factors
• Social isolation
• Poverty
• Inaccessible community services

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Violence in Relationships

• Individual And Family Factors
• Psychopathology low tolerance for frustration,
  need to control
• Alcohol/drug abuse
• Abusive parents

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Characteristics of Abusive Partners

• Extremely dependent on their partner.
• Jealous, possessive and suspicious.
• Have excessive need to control.
• Unhappy and dissatisfied with their life.
• Aggressive with poor impulse control.

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Characteristics of Abusive Partners

• Move quickly into an intimate, committed
  relationship.
• Blame others for problems.
• Cut partner off from family and friends.
• Alcohol/drug abuse

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Effects Of Partner Abuse

• 35 of women who seek emergency room services
  are suffering from battering injuries.
• Psychological effects include feelings of
  helplessness, humiliation, anxiety and suicide
  attempts.
• March of Dimes estimates that most birth defects
  are due to physical abuse.

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Cycle of Abuse

• Perpetrator abuses partner.
• Asks for forgiveness.
• Acts civil until trust of partner is regained.
• Abuses partner again.  

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Why people remain in abusive relationships

• Love
• Emotional dependency rather stay in abusive
  relationship than be alone.
• Commitment to relationship till death do us
  part implies acceptance of abuse.
• Hope that partner will change.

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Why people remain in abusive relationships

• Feel that abuse is legitimate part of intimate
  relationship.
• Would feel guilty for breaking up family.
• Fear of what partner will do to them if they
  leave.
• Economic dependence
• Isolation

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Process of Leaving an Abusive Relationship

• Seed of doubt - Question whether they deserve
  such treatment.
• Turning point - Event that has an impact on the
  motivation to leave the relationship.
• Objective reflection - Abused partner views the
  relationship from a detached point of view.

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Process of Leaving an Abusive Relationship

• Cognitive shift - Shift from focus on staying in
  relationship to getting out of it.
• Leaving and moving on - Very painful to
  disengage, call police/friend, pack clothes, move
  out, leave town.

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Factors Associated with Child Abuse and Neglect

• Pregnancy is premarital or unplanned and one of
  the parents does not want the child.
• Mother-infant attachment is lacking.
• Child suffers from developmental disabilities or
  mental retardation.

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Factors Associated with Child Abuse and Neglect

• Childrearing techniques are strict and harsh and
  include little positive reinforcement.
• Parents are unemployed.
• Abuse between husband and wife.
• Children are adopted or foster children.

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Effects of Child Abuse on Victims

• Social relationships more tenuous, less likely to
  trust.
• Aggressiveness - If child was hit, they are
  likely to model behavior.
• Communication problems and learning disabilities.

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Effects of Child Abuse on Victims

• Physical injuries disfigurement, scarring,
  death.
• Increased risk of alcohol abuse to dull the pain.
• Post traumatic stress disorder

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Effects of Child Sexual Abuse

• Women report having sex earlier in their teens
  and are more likely to bear a child before 19.
• Lower self esteem, higher levels of depression
  and antisocial behavior among females.
• Most devastating when abuse is prolonged,
  involves intercourse and is perpetrated by father
  or step father.

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Effects of Child Sexual Abuse

• Males tend to develop negative self-concept,
  sleep disorders, and sexual dysfunctions.
• Post traumatic stress disorder and heavy alcohol
  use is common.
• Lower marital satisfaction.
• Daughters of mothers who were abused are 3.6
  times more likely to be sexually victimized.

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Forms of Elder Abuse

• Neglect
• Physical abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Social abuse
• Legal abuse