CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 1
Case Study: Female Victims of Domestic Violence
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Danielle R. Allen&
Liberty University&
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 2
Abstract
The issue of domestic violence is strikingly prevalent in today’s society, yet the magnitude at
which the concern is addressed does not appear to correlate to its pervasive nature. Although
both men and women can be victims of domestic violence, women typically constitute the bulk
of the population affected. The impact that it has on women who are victims of this abuse is
insurmountable, and can have significant lasting traumatic effects that permeate through all areas
of their life. However, when dealing with trauma, the needs of a population are exceedingly
complex and typically call for the collaboration of multiple resources throughout a community to
band together for a true improvement in quality of life for these victims. On top of that, culture
plays a huge part in the suffering of the victim and the attitudes toward the violence, and must be
taken into account in any work done toward the goal of assisting survivors. With alliance and
networking of mental health resources in a community being a widespread work in progress, this
study was designed to formulate a way to meet the complex need of safety and trauma recovery,
ultimately improving quality of life in all necessary areas for these victims. A concept for a
community program was developed to meet these needs, and a blueprint was described for an
advocacy program to demonstrate the benefit that a strong community network would have on
helping women who are victims of domestic violence in communities to truly thrive. Finally,
challenges and barriers to this undertaking are presented and implications are discussed.
Keywords: community psychology, community counseling, abuse victims, trauma
victims, abused women, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, networking
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 3
Case Study: Female Victims of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence against women is a prominent element of concern globally, and one
that should be viewed and understood in a socio-cultural light. “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” Mark 12:31 (King James Bible
Online, 2022). The importance of assisting community members suffering from domestic
violence is displayed here through the words of the Bible. First, there must be a thorough
understanding of the population, essentially who they are and what their needs are for
community intervention. According to Muhammad-Farooq et al. (2017), women encounter
domestic violence situations indifferent of characteristics such as education, ethnicity, religion,
class, sexual orientation, or age. However, these factors do play a huge role in their unique
mindset about and experience of the violence, as well as help-seeking behaviors that ultimately
result in community intervention.
Description of the Population
According to the World Health Organization (2018), or WHO, 1 in 3 women will
experience physical, emotional, or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Findings from a
multi-nation study on the topic of domestic abuse reported a prevalence of violence among
partners varying from 15% to 71% among a total of 24,079 surveyed women in 10 different
countries (Asay et al., 2015). This illustrates the potential presence of this far-reaching human
rights issue in every community. Although literature has shown that the population of women
experiencing domestic violence is extremely diverse, similarities in core themes have still been
found as contributing factors.
Causes of Abuse
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 4
There are several causes of abuse in domestic violence situations that were indicated
throughout the literature, giving the community professionals a visual of the population
characteristics. Causes noted included a generational cycle of violence, substance abuse or
alcoholism, and male dominance (Asay et al., 2015). A patriarchal belief system can also cause
abuse by providing justification for violent behavior and objectification of women (Asay et al.,
2015). Societal changes or transitions, especially economic or law changes, may be catalysts for
domestic violence as an unintended and overlooked consequence (Asay et al., 2015).
Risk Factors
There were many risk factors found to correlate with domestic violence trends in a
community. Spencer et al. (2018) studied risk factors of domestic violence on three different
ecological levels, including the social structure (exosystem), the direct setting or familial
(microsystem), and individual level (ontogenetic). They also noted how domestic violence is a
multi-factorial event and highlighted the importance of examining how each ecological level and
the interactions of them shape the impact on the individual (Spencer et al., 2018). Exosystem
risk markers of domestic violence victimization included financial stress and higher numbers of
children (Spencer et al., 2018). For the microsystem, risk markers included previous
victimization, emotional abuse, controlling behaviors, and relationship dissatisfaction, all of
which positively correlated with the likelihood for domestic violence in the home (Spencer et al.,
2018). Finally, ontogenetic risk markers included a sense of fear in the relationship, previous
threats of self-harm, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance abuse (Spencer et
al., 2018).
Ultimately, it is important to consider risk factors for domestic violence victimization,
especially ontogenetic or individual factors, such as mental health issues or substance abuse, as
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 5
these are significant areas that should be focuses in therapeutic programs targeting domestic
violence victims.
Identification of Need
Societal
There are various areas that include gaps and needs that must be addressed for the
domestic violence survivor population. According to Evans and Feder (2014), they found that
many women experiencing domestic violence tended to have limited support networks and very
restricted opportunities for safe disclosure of the abuse, turning to strategies like placating or
reconciling events to cope with it. For those women reaching out to their informal support
system, many are not taken seriously or their experiences are discounted, further isolating them
(Evans & Feder, 2014). Although services were available in communities, women experience a
great deal of obstacles to actually accessing them, including internalization of feelings of shame
and denial, fear and mistrust, potential repercussions and consequences, and negative past
experiences in other relationships which impeded help-seeking (Evan & Feder, 2014).
Another gap exists in the health system, as health professionals have a unique opportunity
in being able to identify domestic violence victims working on the front line. However, Evans
and Feder (2014) found that many women involved in their study indicated they had low
expectations of getting help, had doctors that had missed blatant physical signs of abuse, and had
trouble building a rapport with practitioners due to high turnover. Of the twenty-seven women in
the study that expressed that they consulted a health care professional, most were prescribed
antidepressants (Evans & Feder, 2014). Only four of the twenty-seven women felt their
practitioner was supportive and those four received referrals for counseling, with only one
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 6
practitioner following up (Evans & Feder, 2014). Finally, two of the women were referred to a
domestic violence agency by simply giving them the contact information (Evans & Feder, 2014).
Legal
There exists a huge gap in help for domestic violence survivors in the legal realm,
starting with police officers on the frontline. For differing reasons that will be discussed more in
detail in later sections, at times there remains incidents of violence that fail to be reported (Asay
et al., 2015). Another concern lies in the fact that police or officials responding to domestic
violence don’t take the reports seriously, and further up the hierarchy of the legal system, often
there is a lot of difficulty in the prosecution of abusers (Asay et al., 2015). While legal and
social services typically exist for domestic violence survivors, and vary by location, they have
shown to be considerably deficient and inadequate (Asay et al., 2015).
According to Barocas et al. (2016), they noted a discrepancy between current legal
definitions and the prevailing perception of domestic violence. To effectively conquer this
obstacle, they describe two crucial changes within the legal field (Barocas et al., 2016). These
changes include that state requirements for treatment domestic violence perpetrator programs
must be adapted to integrate the definition within the law, as well as coalitions for domestic
violence in the state must alter their trainings deviating from the typical formula to account for
these definitions and diversity of experiences.
Many women, when they finally do leave their abuser, have found a very difficult process
trying to navigate the court system and advocate for themselves. According to one woman
interviewed by Tam et al. (2015), she eloquently described her understanding and experience of
the intimidating court system as a domestic violence victim:
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 7
Oh, the justice system really helps abused women doesn’t it? They take you out of your
house, make you leave, and then tell you you have to get a lawyer to fight for things that
are already yours. If you can’t afford a lawyer, the abuser has triple the income. Guess
who wins? Who is the justice system protecting? It was harsh to have his lawyer drill me
saying, ‘Do you find this appropriate to wear?’ Very degrading... I had to wait in the main
lobby, and he’d (the abuser) walk through and I’d be sitting there. Finally, I refused to sit
there. I said (to the Crown prosecutor), ‘Either put me in a private room or I’m walking
out, you can arrest me.’ (p 534)
In order to assist domestic violence victims in the crux of abuse and through the legal
process, it is important that these needs be addressed by a program for supporting these victims.
It highlights how imperative it is to develop a collaborative connection between community
sectors like the criminal justice system, among others, as this is the only way to meet the legal,
societal, financial, socio-cultural, and practical needs (Tam et al., 2015).
Intervention Strategies
There are various types of intervention strategies that are currently put in place for female
domestic violence victims. Existing within these intervention strategies, there exist significant
aspects that make them successful in promoting survivor well-being and are of notable
importance.
Establishing Emotional Safety
“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in abundance of counselors there is
safety” Proverbs 11:14 (King James Bible Online, 2022). A fundamental element of every
domestic violence program is to employ safety planning with survivors (Sullivan, 2017).
Successful intervention strategies found that safety planning must be adaptable to the individual
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 8
and their unique situation, as well as proactively addressing how best to reduce future
victimization risk (Sullivan, 2017).
Restoring Choice and Control
According to Sullivan (2017), following a traumatic event, is a multitude of resource loss
including economic, social, and interpersonal resources fundamental to their quality of life. For
survivors of domestic violence, this may look like transitioning their home, leaving behind their
support system, loss of self-esteem or confidence, among others (Sullivan, 2017). They theorize
that if resource loss prompted by trauma infliction is adjoined by resource gain, it would promote
well-being (Sullivan, 2017). Some examples of resource gain are skill building or obtaining
justice, which ultimately gives the survivor a feeling of enhanced control over their own life.
Sullivan noted that domestic violence shelters that include intensive advocacy services designed
to increase access to community resources, especially after leaving the shelter, displayed much
greater effectiveness in supporting women to maintain a healthier abuse-free path (Sullivan,
2017). Further, intervention strategies focused on advocate support and connection with
survivors found that through those relationships, they had an amazing power to assist in
recovering victim’s sense of personal power and control (Fauci et al., 2016).
Facilitating Connection
Social support, both formal and informal, is crucial to the success of intervention
programs for domestic violence. Evidence-based intervention strategies have involved ways to
assist in building and maintaining community links (Sullivan, 2017). Other programs place
substantial weight on the relationship between the domestic violence survivor and their advocate
worker, viewing it as pivotal to the healing process (Fauci et al., 2016). Many publications on
evidence-based intervention strategies advise opportunities be offered for survivors to both
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 9
support and receive support from their peers (Wilson et al., 2015). Additionally, powerful
evidence exists showing that utilizing survivors informal support system improves outcomes for
domestic violence victims, but however have not typically been integrated into mainstream
domestic violence program models (Goodman et al., 2015). Informal support networks, such as
friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, when assessed properly and survivors are assisted in skills
for seeing red flags in potential support persons, have shown to strengthen mental health and
safety outcomes (Goodman et al., 2015)
Supporting Coping
Domestic violence causes a great deal of psychological distress and mental health issues
on victims (Goodman et al., 2015). Abuse is a trauma that has the ability to cause either post-
traumatic stress disorder as a consequence (Goodman et al., 2015). A counseling component in
intervention strategies is critical to assisting with these experiences, often assisting victims in
understanding what normal trauma responses look like, offering knowledge about mental health,
coping skills, and other healing strategies (Sullivan, 2017).
Community Engagement and Social Change Work
Realistically, victims do not exist inside a vacuum and their healing is not independent of
the community that they live in. So successful intervention strategies involve a component that
employs efforts to work with communities through advocacy, prevention services, education, and
networking (Sullivan, 2017). Halliwell et al. (2019) found that interventions that specifically
involved assisting healthcare professionals in identifying abuse showed promise for improving
outcomes as well.
Resiliency Factors
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 10
A strengths-based approach with any population is crucial to assessing their needs, and
female domestic violence survivors are no exception. There are four levels of strengths to be
examined as protective factors that should be built upon in any program designed to assist the
population, including cultural, community, family, and individual strengths (Asay et al., 2016).
On a cultural level, every culture enacts some sort of guidelines against causing harm to others
with consequences if acts are committed (Asay et al., 2016). On a community level, when
community members are passionate about the well-being of others, they show strength in
banding together and demanding that programs are enacted to meet victim needs as well as
provide funding toward them (Asay et al., 2016). On a family level, family strengths are also
demonstrated when family members come together to help support the domestic violence victim,
when in fact they are supportive which is unfortunately not always the case (Asay et al., 2016).
Finally, on an individual level, the women that Asay et al. (2016) found to be most successful in
rising above their abusive situations were ones that exercised hope and positivity about their
future as well as made forward-looking plans and goals. “He said to them, ‘Because of your
little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to
this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for
you” Matthew 17:20 (King James Bible Online, 2022). The Bible, too, indicates the importance
for faith and optimism, so it should come as no surprise that this is a strength of survivors who
find success in their healing journey.
When one or more of the levels of strengths are lacking, strengths in other areas can
make up for it and provide counterbalance (Asay et al., 2016). Although all four areas of
strengths are technically crucial in navigating through abuse and escaping the cycle permanently,
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 11
many survivors are obligated to make necessary changes and steps despite missing or lacking
resources that would offer them much more promising outcomes (Asay et al., 2016).
Program
Advocacy Program
Content
Challenges and Barriers to Services
Content
Conclusion
After combing the literature for gaps and needs for the population of female domestic
violence victims, many were found in the areas of societal, legal, financial, and socio-cultural.
This emphasizes how crucial the development of a cooperative connection between community
entities, as this is the only way to meet those complex needs. The advocacy program described is
formulated to address all the numerous aspects and trends found to be significant in building a
successful program for domestic violence victims. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are
bound” Isaiah 61:1 (King James Bible Online, 2022). In some way or another, domestic
violence victims fall in the category of poor, brokenhearted, captives, and prisoners. It is the
community responsibility to assist them in their suffering, and with a program such as this, they
have an opportunity to collaborate in their efforts. Future research would benefit from examining
ways that a program such as this could be enforced. It would also be beneficial to delve into
implementing and testing an advocacy program with domestic violence victims, as well as
determining the goals and measuring outcomes to decipher its efficacy.
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 13
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CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 15
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Parenthetical citation: (Asays et al., 2016)
2. In-text citation: Barocas et al. (2016)
Parenthetical citation: (Barocas et al., 2016)
3. In-text citation: Cattaneo and Goodman (2015)
Parenthetical citation: (Cattaneo & Goodman, 2015)
4. In-text citation: Evans and Feder (2015)
Parenthetical citation: (Evans & Feder, 2015)
5. In-text citation: Goodman et al. (2016)
Parenthetical citation: (Goodman et al., 2016)
6. In-text citation: Goodman et al. (2016)
Parenthetical citation: (Goodman et al., 2016)
7. In-text citation: Gram et al. (2021)
Parenthetical citation: (Gram et al., 2021)
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Parenthetical citation: (Halliwell et al., 2019)
9. In-text citation: Hughes et al. (2015)
Parenthetical citation: (Hughes et al., 2015)
10. In-text citation: Johnson and Stylianou (2022)
Parenthetical citation: (Johnson & Stylianou, 2022)
11. In-text citation: June et al. (2002)
Parenthetical citation: (June et al., 2002)
12. In-text citation: Muhammad-Farooq et al. (2017)
CASE STUDY: FEMALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 16
Parenthetical citation: (Muhammad-Farooq et al., 2017)
13. In-text citation: King James Bible Online (2022)
Parenthetical citation: (King James Bible Online, 2022)
14. In-text citation: Spencer et al. (2019)
Parenthetical citation: (Spencer et al., 2019)
15. In-text citation: Sullivan (2018)
Parenthetical citation: (Sullivan, 2018)
16. In-text citation: Tam et al. (2016)
Parenthetical citation: (Tam et al., 2016)
17. In-text citation: World Health Organization (2018)
Parenthetical citation: (World Health Organization, 2018)
