The Dangers of Ignoring Domestic Violence in Your Home

Within an intimate or family-based relationship, patterns of abuse in any form can spell trouble down the road for the person being abused. Patterns of abuse can escalate without warning, turning violent and even deadly.

According to the National Institute of Justice, one out of every five women injured or killed by a significant other didn’t see it coming as it was the first time their partner had used physical violence.

While a woman may opt to overlook episodes of verbal or emotional abuse in an effort to keep the peace, these incidents may well be indicative of a volatile pattern that can quickly spin out of control. For these reasons, it’s important to take signs of domestic violence seriously and act accordingly.

Causes of Domestic Violence

Causes of domestic violence can take any number of forms depending on any one person’s upbringing. Extenuating circumstances that affect a couple’s day-to-day life in stressful ways can also contribute to the likelihood of abusive behavior.

In many cases, abusive behavior may be all that a person knows so he or she naturally gravitates towards partners who have these tendencies.

Substance abuse can lead to domestic violence in the home.

Under these conditions, any circumstance that contributes to or increases stress levels in the home can greatly increase the potential for domestic violence. Stressful circumstances may take the form of:

• Extreme poverty
• Alcohol and/or drug abuse
• Unemployment
• Mental illness

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Fatality Trends

Not surprisingly, women make up the majority of fatalities resulting from domestic violence incidents. According to Baylor University, violence in the home takes the lives of estimated 1,000 to 1,600 women every year, fatalities that often come on heels of ongoing physical abuse.

Fatalities also result in cases where a woman does manage to get away from her abuser only to end up homeless and destitute. In these instances, death can result from HIV or from falling into dangerous lifestyles, such as prostitution. In effect, these “by-products” of domestic abuse likely cause more fatalities than death at the hands of the abuser.

Fire Arms Access

The presence of a firearm in a home where domestic violence occurs poses a considerable danger to the victim of abuse as well as to any other occupants in the home. According to John Hopkins School of Public Health, in 2005, an estimated 40 percent of female homicide victims died at the hands of an intimate partner. Over 55 percent of these deaths resulted from a firearm.

Considerations

Domestic violence takes a considerable toll on a woman’s physical and psychological well-being. Oftentimes, by the time a woman takes the steps to report physical abuse, she’s already developed a serious psychological condition, such as major depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder.

On top of the dangers that come with ignoring a domestic violence situation, the quality of woman’s daily life sees continuing decline in the process.

If you suspect you or someone you know lives with domestic violence and don’t know where to turn, please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 800-481-6320Who Answers? to speak with one of our phone counselors.

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