Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is a growing concern among people of all races, cultures, creeds, and classes. Domestic violence refers to any form of abuse that takes place between people who live in the same household. The term is commonly associated with assaults on women by their male partners but may be applied to assaults on men by their female partners. Violence in the home ranks as the leading cause of injury of women from age 15 to 44. An estimated two to four million women in the United States are subjected to psychological, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse by a male partner. According to the National Violence against Women survey, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, intimate partner violence or domestic violence is pervasive in U.S. society. Nearly 25% of surveyed women and 7.5% of surveyed men said they were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at some time in their lifetime. A third of all women's injuries coming into our emergency rooms are no accident. Most are the result of deliberate, premeditated acts of violence. And frequently they occur over and over until the woman is killed. As it stands about one third of American women murdered in any given year are killed by either a current or former boyfriend or husband.

The severity of the issue is made relevant and real by its prevalence in so many communities. Although there are no viable justifications for its presence in so many homes across the country, there are many causes that may contribute to its growing statistics. Some of the many causes associated with domestic violence include drug and alcohol abuse, gender roles expressed and associated by each partner, and any financial hardships experienced within any domestic partnership.

Drug and alcohol abuse is commonly associated with domestic violence and is believed by many people to be one of the leading causes of increased instances of domestic violence. Ninety-two percent of the domestic abuse assailants reported use of alcohol or other drugs on the day of the assault, according to a recent report. (Tjaden, P., & Thoennes) The abuse of certain drugs and alcohols can cause a functional and productive individual to behave in a manner that may be violent, irrational and unlike their sober self. Abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a correlate of domestic violence. Since substance abuse may develop or worsen as a result of domestic violence, it is appropriate to consider domestic violence when evaluating a patient for alcohol intoxication, drug toxicity, or drug overdose. (Dugan, L., Nagin, D.S. and Rosenfeld 196-202) The side effects of partaking in drug and alcohol can cause a person to become loud, unruly, and combative. The combative nature that may be expressed while under the influence of a drug or alcohol is likely to create a domestic environment that is hostile and unruly, which at times may cause a spouse or partner to resort to violent acts in an attempt to try to gain control of his or her domestic circumstance.

The aggression that is experienced during these periods of time in which an individual is under the influence of drugs and or alcohol can allow an individual to believe that small problems are much larger and more intense then what they really are. They tend to take comments and gestures out of context and magnify situations in which they may feel under attack. This can cause small arguments among cohabiters to result in violent acts. People who are under the influence are also likely to become very defensive as a result of a heightened sense of vulnerability and sensitivity. These factors play a large role in the increase of domestic violence.

Another widely recognized contributor to domestic violence is associated with assigned gender roles that have been deemed acceptable by society. At one point and time in history, it was once acceptable for a man to beat his wife as a means to maintain the structure of his household because he was the man of the house and it was within his right to do so. The common law of England permitted a man to beat his wife, provided the diameter of the stick so used was not wider than the diameter of his thumb, hence, the term "Rule of Thumb."(Tjaden, P., & Thoennes)

In a society that has changed so drastically in terms of the role of the man as well as the woman in the household, many lines of distinction have become blurred. To some the gender roles that are now accepted by much of society lack any meaning and hold no truth to the true nature of man. For much of history the man has been depicted to play the role of the bread winner, and the head of the household, but in more recent years, gender roles in many United States households have changed. In this day and age it is acceptable and in many instances common to find a woman who supports and provides for the family and find that the