THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 1

The Types of Domestic Violence and Their Related Affects

Blair J. Russell

Kansas City Kansas Community College

THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 2

Abstract

In this paper several types of domestic violence are mentioned. These types include;

physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and economical. Along with describing the different

types of abuse, the affects and statistics of each type of abuse are also mentioned in great detail.

The different ways the types of abuse effects women, men, and children are all talked about.

Isolation is discussed using examples of the wild children and finally ways to help the cause.
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 3

Sociology is the scientific study of human society and social interactions (Tischler, 2007).

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence the definition of domestic

violence is is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other

abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another. Domestic violence is a

social interaction, therefore is studied by sociologists.

Domestic Violence affects individuals in all communities, no matter what the race, age,

religion, national or educational background is. The result of domestic violence is physical

injury, psychological trauma, and in some cases death. The consequences of domestic violence

can cross generations and truly last a lifetime. When we hear the term domestic violence the first

thing that most people think of is physical abuse in a home. Physical abuse is not the only type of

domestic violence. There are 5 kinds; physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and

economical. Each one of these types has different effects on families in the household it occurs.

It also effects children, women, and men differently. Children and women are the victims far

more than men are.

Physical domestic violence is inflicting or attempting to inflict physical injury- example:

grabbing, pinching, shoving, slapping, hitting, biting, arm-twisting, kicking, punching, hitting

with blunt objects, stabbing, shooting, and withholding access to resources necessary to maintain

health- example: medication, medical care, wheelchair, food or fluids, sleep, hygienic assistance

Forcing alcohol or other drug use (Woodbridge Township D.V.R.T., n.d.).

THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 4

85% of domestic violence victims are women (N.C.A.D.V., June 2007). It is much

more common for women to be assaulted by men than vis versa. This does not mean that it does

not happen.

Approximately 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner

each year. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime

(N.C.A.D.V., June 2007). More women will acquire injuries do to battery than car crashes,

muggings, or rapes (Domestic Violence, n.d.). Everyday in the US, more than three women are

murdered by their spouses or boyfriends (Domestic Violence Statistics, 2013).

Battered women go through many things as a result of violence. Batterers will isolate

victims from family and friends. The victims will become embarrassed of the abuse inflicted

upon them and separate themselves from support systems. Women may have to move to avoid

the violence which makes it hard to have a job with a steady income along with the costs of

constant moving. Constant illness from battery or court appearances can cause women to be

absent from their jobs which can make it hard for them to keep. Women can become

impoverished as they grow older because they have to forgo their financial security during

divorce so they can avoid further abuse. Women who have been victims of domestic violence

suffer from mental and physical problems. Some women who suffered from batter in their early

adult lives have suffered from arthritis, heart disease, and hypertension as a direct result of the

batter (Domestic Violence, n.d.).

Children do not have to be directly physically abused to be affected by violence in the

household (Domestic Violence, n.d.). Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness

some form of domestic violence annually (Domestic Violence Statistics, 2013). Children are

always affected when the mother is abuse whether it is overt or subtle. In families where the
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 5

mother is abused, child abuse is 6-15 times greater. When parents are abused, children sometimes

feel as though they are the reason, or feel guilty because they cannot protect (Domestic

Violence, n.d.). When children see their parents fighting, yelling, pushing, ect, they get hurt.

Some children feel confusion, shame, stress, fear, or think they are the problem(Domestic

Violence, n.d.).

Children may have trouble making friends or be fearful of adults. They may also suffer

from depression. Some children may try to use violence for solving problems at home and

school. They are put at a greater risk or being suicidal, committing crimes as juveniles and/or

adults, and running away. Children who have grown up in violent households are more likely of

being addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, or being in a relationship that becomes abusive. Girls

who see their mother abused as a child are more opt to tolerate abused as an adult than those who

do not. Boys who watch their fathers physically abuse their mothers are 10 times more likely to

be abusive in an intimate relationship as an adult (Domestic Violence, n.d.).

Ben Malotte, 21 year old, Kansas City native, grew up in a violent household. Ben took

the time to sit down with me and talk about how it affected his childhood. My mother hid it

from me pretty well when I was younger, but as I got older, I would start to notice. Ben said it

was just normal that his father yelled at his mother and he didnt know the difference. He during

big fights his mother would take him to his room and shut the door. After big fights my father

would sometimes leave for anywhere to an hour to a week for what I was told was work. No

matter how long his father was gone, Ben said his mother would always welcome him back and

his father and mother would be very loving to each other for a period of time and often took him

on out to do something fun as a family. As I got older, Id say around 7 or 8, I started to figure

out that it wasnt normal how they acted. Being around neighbors and friends Ben started to
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 6

realize his parents behavior was not like other families he was around. It started to really bug

me when they would fight and I would start leaving the house and not come home until late,

which made my mother worry. When Ben was 11 he saw his mother be physically battered by

his father. I got up from the couch and ran to the kitchen and was yelling at him and then I

jumped on him. He threw me off of him and hit me. After this Ben and his mother moved out

and got a restraining order from his father. I felt like I needed to protect her, and I felt guilty for

not protecting her all those years that I just left or sat in my room. Ben and his mother went

through counseling sessions together and keep not contact with his father. Im very of my

mother, and am very judgmental of anyone she dates. Its a trust thing. I used to worry that it

was genetic or something, that it was in my blood and when I was in a relationship I would do it

too, but I realized with help that its a choice, and its a choice I will not make. Ben said he felt

as though he did not experience a normal childhood and still deals with trust issues due to being

in a domestic violence situation (Ben Malotte, personal communication, April 20, 2013).

When thinking of domestic violence we think of women, abused by their intimate

partners, spouses, or boyfriends, but every year in the U.S. 3.2 million men are victims of battery

or assault by an intimate parter. Men are often overlooked as victims of domestic violence

because so much attention is given to women who are abused by men. Men accounted for

approximately 15% of domestic violence victims according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics

Crime Data Brief (Domestic Violence, n.d.). Although most of the assaults are minor cases like

slapping, pushing, or hitting, some can be more serious and some even end in homicide

(Domestic Violence, n.d.).

Women abusing men is much different from men abusing women. Women can kick, hit,

punch, push, bit, and may also use weapons to attack their victims. Just because a man is abused
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 7

by a women does not mean that he is smaller or weaker than his abuser. Men who are being

abused often do not retaliate by using their greater strength or size to hurt their abusers

(Domestic Violence, n.d.). The roles of traditional genders can confuse the case. People think a

real man should be able to control his partner. Men sometimes feel as though they are less of

a man for letting themselves be abused. Men are often afraid of being mocked, ridiculed, or no

one will believe them or take them seriously, and as a result, do not report their abuse and suffer

in silence. People often dont think twice about telling a battered man that it isnt a big deal, but

we would never hear anyone say this to a women being battered by a man. Many men are too

embarrassed to admit to being abused by their partners (Domestic Violence, n.d.).

Sexual domestic violence is coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact without

consent- example: marital rape, acquaintance rape, forced sex after physical beating, attacks on

the sexual parts of the body, forced prostitution, fondling, sodomy, sex with others, and

attempting to undermine the victim' sexuality- example: treating him/her in a sexually derogatory

manner, criticizing sexual performance and desirability, accusations of infidelity, withholding

sex (Woodbridge Township D.V.R.T., n.d.).

Sexual abuse is also more common with women victims than men. One in 6 women and

1 in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape. Nearly 7.8 million women have

been raped by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. In 45% of battering relationships,

sexual assault or rape occurs. 81% of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are

also physically assaulted by that partner; 31% are also sexually assaulted by that partner

(N.C.A.D.V., June 2007). Women who have been sexually assaulted are more likely to develop

clinical depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (N.C.A.D.V. Psychological Abuse, n.d.).

Child sexual abuse is include touching sexual offenses and non-touching sexual offenses.
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 8

Some of the touching offenses include fondling, making a child touch an adults sexual organs,

and at the extreme end, sexual intercourse or its deviations. Non-touching offenses include

exposing children to pornography, engaging in indecent exposure of exhibitionism, deliberately

exposing a child to sexual intercourse, and masturbating in front of a child. In most states an act

of a person who forces, coerces or threatens a child to have any form of sexual contact or to

engage in any type of sexual activity at the perpetrators direction is the legal definition of child

molestation (American Humane Association, 2013).

Children being sexual abused in the household is also very common with domestic

violence. Sexual abuse that occurs within a household is likely to continue for long periods of

time, until it is discovered and stopped. Eighty to ninety percent of child abusers are family

members or someone close to the family. Although males have a higher percentage rate of known

sexual offenders, both men and women sexually offend (Multicare Health System, 2007-

2013). A process known as grooming begins when the sexual offender gains the child's trust and

friendship, which they more than often already have because they are family members. The

offender than begins to test boundaries and the childs ability to protect themselves. Hugging and

back rubbing are sometimes used as testers, then accidental sexual touching and sexual jokes

are used. If the offender does not feel as though they are given the message that this behavior is

inappropriate, they will increase the amount and type of sexual exposure. Sometimes children are

introduced to pornography as well (Multicare Health System, 2007-2013).

Sexual abuse affects people far beyond their childhood. It robs children of their childhood

and makes it difficult for them to trust anyone. Children may also feel guilty and use self-abusive

behavior. Some effects also lead to antisocial behavior, identity confusion, depression, low self-

esteem, and other serious emotional problems. Children may also have difficulty with intimate
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 9

relationships later in life (Multicare Health System, 2007-2013).

Emotional abuse is undermining or attempting to undermine victim sense of worth

example: constant criticism, belittling victim's abilities and competency, name-calling, insults,

put-downs, silent treatment, manipulating victim's feelings and emotions to induce guilt,

subverting a partner's relationship with the children, repeatedly making and breaking promises

(Woodbridge Township D.V.R.T., n.d.). Violence

against women is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior, and thus

is part of a systematic pattern of dominance and control (N.C.A.D.V., June 2007). Unlike

physical abuse, emotional abuse is elusive, and the victim and even the abuser may not even be

aware its happening. The emotional and psychological abuse is sometimes more costly to treat

that physical injuries inflicted by batterers (Domestic Violence, n.d.). Emotion abuse can be

more harmful that physical abuse because it effects the way we think about ourselves, allowing

us to let false ideas to define us. This type of abuse can occur between spouses or parent and

child, in a household. Abusers use their words, attitudes, and/or actions to an unsuspecting

victim. Emotional abusers more than likely have had the same type of emotional abuse inflicted

on them and have never dealt with the repercussions (Bogdanos, May 2013).

Psychological abuse is instilling or attempting to instill fear- example: intimidation,

threatening physical harm to self, victim, and/or others, threatening to harm and/or kidnap

children, menacing, blackmail, harassment, destruction of pets and property, mind games,

stalking and isolating or attempting to isolate victim from friends, family, school, and/or work-

example: withholding access to phone and/or transportation, undermining victim's personal

relationships, harassing others, constant "checking up, constant accompaniment, use of

unfounded accusations, forced imprisonment (Woodbridge Township D.V.R.T., n.d.).

THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 10

95% of men who physically abuse their intimate partners also psychologically abuse

them. Men who use psychological abuse are more likely to abuse substances, have prior criminal

arrests, employment problems, and use weapons to abuse their partners. Women who are

employed and have unemployed partners, or make 65% or more of the households income are

more than twice as likely to be psychologically abused by their partners. Woman with a physical

disability have an 83% increase of risk to being psychologically abused. N.C.A.D.V.

Psychological Abuse, n.d.).

Economical abuse is making or attempting to make the victim financially dependent

example: maintaining total control over financial resources including victim's earned income or

resources received through public assistance or social security, withholding money and/or access

to money, forbidding attendance at school, forbidding employment, on-the-job harassment,

requiring accountability and justification for all money spent, forced welfare fraud, withholding

information about family running up bills for which the victim is responsible for payment

(Woodbridge Township D.V.R.T., n.d.).

You dont typically think of economical abuse when you think of domestic violence, but

it is very apparent is some domestic violence situations. Economic abuse can, even after the

relationship has ended, have lifelong affects a person. An example would be if the abuser ruins

his/her partners credit. This can greatly disrupt opportunities for loans and can take years to fix.

Some results of economic abuse are garnishment, bankruptcy, ruined credit, and identity theft

(Building Security through Assets and Financial Education n.d.)

One form of domestic violence that would fall under physical abuse would be isolation.

According to (Tischler, 2007) few cases exist of humans that have had no other contact with

humans. (Tischler, 2007) talks about 2 cases in particular; Genie, and Anna. Each one of these
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 11

children was considered a wild child.

When Genie was discovered she weighed only 59 pounds and was 54 inches tall. Genie

was 13 1/2 years old. She had been confined to a small bedroom and was harnessed to an infants

potty seat for the majority of her life. Genie was unable to stand or walk and was left alone all of

this time. Genie was hospitalized and it became apparent that she was severely malnourished,

unsocialized, and was unable to speak or even stand.

Anna was discovered in the 1930s by social workers. Annas family had kept her in a

room in the attic and did the bare minimum to keep her alive. When she was discovered she

could not speak, sit, or walk.

These cases are extreme but do happen. Isolation is a tactic used in a violent relationship.

It is used to weaken the victim and prevent them from getting support and hearing others

perspective so they then only have the abusers beliefs and requirements.Sometimes isolation

occurs because of jealous and possessiveness. Telling the victim they care more fore their family

or friends than their partner is one way to develop isolation (Murphy, February 2012).

Domestic violence is a big social problem and has a big support base to help fight it.

Physical and sexual abuse is much more apparent and publicized, although emotional and

psychological abuse are often the start of these. More often than not all 5 of these types of abuse

are present in abusive relationships. All forms of domestic violence have short-term and long-

term effects. Domestic violence affects men, women, and children differently, but also the same

in some ways.
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 12

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"Domestic Violence Facts." National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, June 2007. Web. 24

Apr. 2013.

"Domestic Violence Is . . ." The 5 Forms of Domestic Violence. Woodbridge Township, n.d.

Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

"Domestic Violence: Long-Term Effects of Domestic Violence." Domestic Violence: Long-Term

Effects of Domestic Violence. The Clark Country, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.

"Domestic Violence Statistics." Domestic Violence Statistics. N.p., 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

"Mary Bridge Children's Hospital." Facts About Sexual Abuse & Health Center MultiCare

Health System. Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, 2007-2013. Web. 01 May 2013.
THE TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATED AFFECTS 13

Murphy, Clare. "Tactic #4 - Isolation." SpeakOutLoud about Psychological Abuse RSS. N.p.,

2009-2013. Web. 01 May 2013.

"Psychological Abuse." National Coalition Against Domestice Violence, n.d. Web. 1 May 2013.

"Signs of Emotional Abuse." Psych Central.com. PschyCentral, 1 May 2013. Web. 01 May 2013.

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Wadsworth Cengage Learning, n.d. 79. Print.

Tischler, Henry L. "The Sociological Perspective." Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. N.p.:

Wadsworth Cengage Learning, n.d. 4. Print.