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Domestic Abuse
Within the United States each year, as many as ten million people are affected by the
devastation of domestic abuse. One in four women are subjected to some form of domestic abuse
by their partners (Huecker, 2021). This abuse leads to physical wounds and injuries as well as
deeper, internal lingering wounds that heal much slower. Women facing domestic abuse within
relationships suffer not only physical injuries but psychological ones as well but with help they
can move forward with strength.
What is domestic abuse?
Domestic abuse includes verbal abuse, physical abuse, and psychological abuse toward
one’s partner. Women in abusive relationships face a number of hardships and often these go
unnoticed by those around the victims. Domestic abuse can happen to any woman regardless of
race, age, social status, and economic backgrounds (Bagness, 2016).
Definition of domestic abuse
Domestic abuse is the use of intimidation, physical abuse, assault or other abusive
behaviors used by an intimate partner to gain power and control over their spouse or partner.
Domestic abuse is not just one behavior such as hitting or physical assault. It is an epidemic that
involves psychological manipulation, physical and sexual assault, verbal abuse, and other
controlling behaviors (Hislop, 2010). Verbal abuse usually involves degrading language and
angry retorts that often the woman does not realize what triggered them, (Fitzpatrick, 2010).
Psychological and emotional abuse includes the abuser playing mind games, using mental
coercion, instilling fear with looks and actions, spying on their partner, and much more. Sexual
abuse ranges from unwanted sexual comments or jokes to rape. Physical abuse goes beyond
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simple hitting, pushing, slapping or kicking. It also includes posturing to intimidate someone and
making the victim move or not able to move against their will (Hislop, 2010).
Warning signs
Domestic abuse often goes unreported and usually starts small and works up over time to
physical abuse (Hislop, 2010). While there is not one trait that can point out whether the partner
is an abuser there are red flags and common characteristics to watch for within any relationship
to know if one is in a relationship with a potential abuser. Abusers minimize the seriousness of
their violent acts. They also tend to see their partner as objects or property and treat them with
extreme jealousy and possessiveness. Abusers do not own their actions but externalize them by
blaming their behavior on anything from stress, a bad day, to their partner’s behavior. Often
abusers’ cycle between periods of violence and good behavior letting those outside the
relationship see them as a good person (NCADV, 2020).
Effects of domestic abuse
The effects of domestic violence on a woman’s body and her mind are devasting. These
women often put on a brave face at work, within the community, and at church, hiding the shame
of domestic violence from their peers and extended family. This often leads to a feeling of
isolation in the victims, especially from those who should be helping them cope and overcome
what is happening to them at home (Chisale, 2018). Not only do these women carry physical
scars outwardly, but they also contend with psychological conditions, internal physical health
conditions, and sometimes even substance abuse to cope with the abuse (Flasch, Murray, and
Crowe, 2017).
Mental effects
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Despite the myriad of physical effects that an abuse victim carries with them, the mental effects
can be equally or even more devastating. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one such
mental disability that can occur as the result of domestic abuse. PTSD occurs when an individual
faces a life-threatening experience. Chronic exposure to that trauma is likely to lead to PTSD, in
this case exposure to reoccurring domestic abuse on a daily or weekly basis (Flasch & et al.,
2017). Fear, depression, low self-esteem, and sleep disorders are other psychological conditions
that may arise from domestic abuse. Other mental disorders that abuse victims suffer include
shame, guilt, eating disorders, and self-mutilation (Ali & McGarry, 2019).
Relationships after abuse
Other issues that affect abuse victims often deal with how they respond to relationships
following domestic abuse. Domestic abuse affects a myriad of relationships between the abuse
victim and the people they interact with daily including professionals such as doctors, co-
workers, their children, and future partners. Mother’s who have experienced domestic abuse in
their pasts are more likely to become aggressive with their children. Depression suffered from
abuse can also affect their parenting skills (Morgan, 2020). Trusting individuals, even
professionals treating the abuse victim such as nurses and doctors, can be hard after abuse.
Opening up to these professionals can be very hard for the fear of being judged or misunderstood
(Mackenzie, Gannon, Stanley, Cosgrove, & Feder, 2019).
Overcoming domestic abuse
As devasting as domestic abuse is there can be healing for the injured victims.
Overcoming domestic abuse can begin with a single step of contacting help. Getting to a place of
safety so the violence cannot continue is important, but also reaching out to counselors and
professional therapists to heal the internal wounds is important (Hislop, 2010).
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The first steps to overcoming
Seeking help is often hard for the abuse victims but understanding that there are others
that understand where one has come from can lead to the first steps of healing. Seeking safety
from either a domestic abuse shelter, family, or friends is an important first step (Hislop, 2010).
Finding a professional counselor that believes in and understands the pain one feels as an abuse
victim is key to feeling safe and opening up (Ali & et al., 2019). If the professional does not
show true emotion and caring, one might not continue to seek the help that they need to heal
(Mackenzie & et al., 2019).
Domestic abuse is a devasting epidemic that affects one in four women. Seeking help can
be hard for these women but is a key step in overcoming the emotional and physical abuse they
find themselves in. Scars are not only external from physical abuse but internal from emotional,
verbal, and psychological abuse as well. Despite the effects this trauma inflects on these women,
they can overcome with help.
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References
Ali, P., & McGarry, J. (2019). Introduction to domestic violence and abuse within healthcare
contexts. Domestic Violence in Health Contexts: A Guide for Healthcare Professions, 1–
15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29361-1_1
Bagness. (2016). Domestic abuse: what you need to know. Nursing Standard., 31(13), 22–24.
https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.31.13.22.s23
Chisale, S. S. (2018). Domestic abuse in marriage and self-silencing: Pastoral care in a context of
self-silencing. Hervormde Teologiese Studies, 74(2)
http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i2.4784
Fitzpatrick, E. (2010). Women helping women. Harvest House Publishers.
Flasch, P., Murray, C. E., & Crowe, A. (2017). Overcoming Abuse: A Phenomenological
Investigation of the Journey to Recovery From Past Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, 32(22), 3373–3401. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515599161
Hislop, B. (2010). Shepherding women in Pain: Real women, real issues, and what you need to
know to truly help. Moody Publishers.
Huecker, M. R. (2021). Domestic violence. StatPearls [Internet]. Retrieved December 3, 2021,
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499891/.
Mackenzie, M., Gannon, M., Stanley, N., Cosgrove, K., & Feder, G. (2019). ‘You certainly don't
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go back to the doctor once you've been told, “I'll never understand women like you.”’
seeking candidacy and structural competency in the dynamics of domestic abuse
disclosure. Sociology of Health & Illness, 41(6), 1159-1174. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-
9566.12893
Morgan, L. (2020). Maternal experiences of domestic abuse and their effect on the mother’s
approach to parenting. Nursing Children and Young People. doi:
10.7748/ncyp.2020.e1184
McGarry, J. (2017), Domestic violence and abuse: an exploration and evaluation of a domestic
abuse nurse specialist role in acute health care services. J Clin Nurs, 26: 2266-2273.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1111/jocn.13203
NCADV: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The Nation's Leading Grassroots Voice
on Domestic Violence. (2020, April). Retrieved December 5, 2021, from
https://ncadv.org/signs of-abuse.
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