Physical Abuse Effects

The Effects of Physical Abuse

Introduction

“Domestic violence is the most common cause of injury to women ages 18 to 44 in the United States” (Gerber MR, 2005). According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), a woman is assaulted or beaten in the US. every nine seconds (http://www.ncadv.org). Unfortunately, often times the abuse goes unreported because the victim denies the abuse, or makes excuses for its occurrence. The song “Ultraviolence” by an indie/rock artist Lana Del Rey, from her album Ultraviolence, addresses the denial, blame, and shame many females experience when they are in an abusive relationship. The song “Saturday Night” by a dance-pop/electropop artist Natalia Kills, from her album Trouble, addresses

Most people associate domestic violence with physical abuse, meaning the abuse leaves some type of a mark on the victim’s body. However, domestic violence can be in a form of psychological abuse. In this case, a victim is traumatized by name calling, shaming, blaming, or stalking. The goal of the abuser is to make the victim feel as though she has no worth. For the abuser to be in control, he needs the victim to think, that the reason the victim is being abused, is because they deserve it. The abuser needs the victim to believe the only person that could ever love them is the abuser. Psychological abuse can be a stepping-stone to a physical one. Sometimes psychological abuse is enough to render the victim helpless and the abuser does not need to resort to physical violence to be in control. However, sometimes a person’s mental state is strong enough to withstand psychological abuse, forcing the abuser to resort to physical violence in order to gain dominance over the victim. According to NCADV “one in five women are physically abused by their partner” (http://www.ncadv.org). Furthermore, if the abuse is occurring in the home with children, the children also suffer. In as many as 30% to 60% of the violent homes, the children are abused (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2004). These children have a much higher risk of suffering from depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and behavior problems (Roberts TA, 2003). Domestic abuse not only affects the victims, but it also affects the economy. According to NCADV, physical abuse costs the U.S. economy over eight billion dollars each year due to victims taking time off from work to heal (http://www.ncadv.org). The cost of healthcare for domestic violence exceeds four billion dollars per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). Unfortunately, as costly as domestic violence is, be it financial or physical, it is still very rampant in our