Domestic Violence And Behavioral Patterns Research (Essay Sample)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic violence is a behavioral pattern that results in violence, impunity or other kinds of abuse by a person against those close to them in a domestic setting. Such includes; marriage, family, and friendship. Intimate domestic violence is violence by a partner against a spouse in an intimate co-existence. Domestic violence traditionally was associated with a husband getting physical with his wife. However, the definition of domestic violence has been broadly modified to include all kinds of sexual, physical, mental (psychological) and socioeconomic violence that may be done by a member of a family or an intimate partner against those close to them("The science of violence prevention", 2015) . This modification was prompted by efforts to include the gradual evolution of different kinds of relationship violence such as violence between female perpetrators, gay relationships, pre-marriage partners and in cases of psychological abuse rather than physical. Domestic violence may be perceived in different forms including physical, social-economic, verbal, emotional, sexual and religious abuse. Sexual abuse is further split into marital rape, female genital mutilation, and common rape. Furthermore, the World health Organization (WHO) adds to this that "controlling behaviors" is a form of abuse too("Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women始s Health and Domestic Violence", 2007).
Globally, women tend to be frequent victims of domestic violence as opposed to their opposite sex. However, domestic violence is often seen as justified legally permitted and appropriate, particularly in some cases of suspected or the actual unfaithful bit of the woman. Statistics of research done on the same also show that there is a profound relationship between domestic violence and gender equity. In the traditional African society and some religious denominations, gender superiority in favor for the males was/is given an upper hand. It has prevailed ever since time immemorial until the emergence of feminists who have vibrantly eased the male chauvinism atmosphere to a lower level. The fight for gender equity has penetrated its way into the legal laws. This has in all possible ways reduced domestic violence with fear of the law. However, among the most less commonly reported crimes globally for both men and women is domestic violence. Men are inhibited by additional barriers related to gender in reporting, social stigmas pointing male victimization, and a presumed increased probability of being overlooked for care by health-care practitioners.
In the medical perception, domestic violence can be viewed as a condition that needs therapeutic treatments. Among the factors that lead to the commitment of this act include frustrations, stress and violence risk behaviors. The abusers may be doing the act to quench their thirst for revenge. This is in the sense that the abused suffers the consequence of their partner's anger at the expense of those who caused the change of mood. Such cases are sometimes associated with alcoholism as there are kinds of people who unless getting the influence of alcohol, they can't come face to face with their problems. The confusion that comes along with alcohol drives the violence to wrong persons which include spouses, children, workmates, roommates, and others. More so, being in a borderline of sanity, the abuser may extend the situation from worse to worst because this may result in permanent crippled conditions or death. The irony that lubricates the whole thing is that the abuser is likely to regret everything he recovers to his sober mind dearly.
As a matter of concern, domestic violence is one of the principal causes of acquired disabilities alongside other causes like accidents, birth complications, and diseases. With the inclusions of Female Genital Mutilation, violence between marriage partners and violence emanating from alcoholism it's reasonable to say that a greater proportion of domestic violence victims result in inevitably unhealthy hardship conditions some of which may lead to organ failure or completely loss of the organ(Coker, 2016) . A case in point is the case of a Kenyan woman in East Africa who took justice in her hands to cut off her husband's genitals for having drunk excessively. Additionally, the female genital mutilation also has an equally brutal effect as it involves removal of a sensory organ within the female genitals. This denies the victim pleasure of the organ's intended purpose. Furthermore, it may, at times aid excessive blood loss. A low level of blood count and volume renders the victim weak and susceptible to common diseases and even worse, result in death.
Alcoholism just as it is caused by peer pressure, it may be charged to an individual as a result of domestic violence. As mentioned earlier, men are at a high risk of victimization centered at domestic violence. Some men may be so inferior to their wives to the point of being unable to reach out for physical power. No one listens to their side of the story because of the perception that men are the better players in this game of violence. They find themselves in series of dilemmas of having nowhere to turn to but the bottle and the bottle for real. This is why when they drink, they drink to infinity. Effects of alcoholism then attack them from all directions. From liver problems to the kidney to the stomach and body acid-base balance. Such alcoholics who engage smoking slowly adds lung cancer to their decelerating health. Alcoholism, further, may lead to psychological problems(Coker, 2016) .
In cases of most domestic violence cases, preferably in a family set up, impunity is likely to disorient developmental and growth values. The most affected are the children if present as they are on the brink of dropping out of school. This may later expand the population of illiteracy within the society, a significant drawback in development. Ultimately, this is likely to happen somehow conditionally to the imminent separation of the conflicting parents. Or even worse one of the conflicting forces or both may spend their spend their better lives behind bars creating forces of subjecting children to poor street lives.
Psychologically, the abuser commits domestic violence when he believes that abuse is justified, morally acceptable or not likely to be reported. Some may do it out of uncontrollable temper or inherent behaviors. This way, the phenomenon is likely to be passed from generation to another as the later generation will assume that domestic violence is condoned. Therefore, psychological remedies such as therapeutic counseling need to be fully reached out for to curb the continuity and spread of this miasma("The science of violence prevention", 2015) .
It is not that easy to determine how common domestic violence is because many people don't report it. It can either be verbal, sexual, psychological or physical. Domestic violence affects everyone irrespective of their age, income, and even education. Where there is domestic violence between married partners, there is often child abuse as well. It is not easy to determine whether children are affected, but they may be hurt accidentally, and also experience serious behavioral and emotional problems("The science of violence prevention", 2015) . Therefore it is very key to assess children for their health and safety whenever there is domestic violence. In children, some symptoms can help determine whether they are affected by domestic violence, they include:
* Anxiety or increased fear
* Depression
* Sleep problems including nightmares or bed wetting
* Increased aggression
* Anger
* Spending more time alone
* Fighting at home or school
* Loss of interest in their friends, school, or other things they enjoyed in the past
* Bullying or being bullied
* Changes in appetite
The first step to getting help on domestic violence is by telling someone you trust most("The science of violence prevention", 2015) . In children and adolescents affected by the domestic violence, they should be evaluated by a trained mental health practitioner. There are several good treatments for the emotional and behavioral problems they may be experiencing. The treatment can include group, i...