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Domestic Partner Abuse
Physical abuse of intimate partners is much more common than most people
believe. 8% of women will report of history of such violence, while 29%
will report such a history, if asked. IPA encompasses child abuse, elder
abuse, and both male and female partner physical abuse.
Elder Abuse
Domestic elder abuse is the maltreatment of an older person by someone
within a domestic relationship. Institutional abuse is committed by
individuals in residential facilities against the older person. There
are 7 forms of elder abuse:
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Physical abuse
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Sexual abuse
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Emotional or psychological abuse
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Neglect
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Abandonment
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Financial or material exploitation
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Self neglect, in which the older person is allowed to make
decisions which clearly and adversely affect their health and
well-being.
Elder abuse is common, with over 250,000 new cases reported each
year. Reported cases are estimated to comprise about 20% of the actual
cases of elder abuse.
Risk factors for elder abuse
include:
Every state has agencies
designated to help resolve cases of elder abuse. In many states, the Adult
Protective Services agency will serve this role. Other local agencies may
also help.
For further information, contact
the
National Center on Elder Abuse
www.ncea.aoa.gov
or call the Elder Abuse Helplines
and Hotlines at
1-800-677-1116.
 Child Abuse
It is estimated that over 1.5 million children in the United States will
be victims of some form of child abuse each year. Risk factors include:
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Female children are more likely to be sexually abused
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Male children are more likely to be physically and emotionally
abused
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Single parent families increase the risk, as does large families
and low-income families.
Child abuse spans not only
Physical, sexual and emotional abuse, but also Neglect, or the failure
to meet a child’s basic needs of housing, food, clothing, education and
access to medical care.
Children are never to blame for
the harm others inflict on them. But certain risk factors increase the
likelihood of child abuse occurring.
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Children under 4 years old are
at the greatest risk for severe injury and death from abuse.
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Families with a history of
violence, substance abuse, poverty, chronic health problems, and those
without nearby friends, relatives or other social support are at the
greatest risk.
-
Ongoing violence in the
community may create an atmosphere that is unusually tolerant of child
abuse.
To report a concern about
possible child abuse, contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at
1-800-4-A-CHILD
or get more
information at Child Welfare Information Gateway
www.childwelfare.gov
Dating Partner Abuse
About half of women report dating relationships that involve some degree
of violence. Among adolescents, the rate is higher with about one in
four reporting extreme violence, including rape or the use of weapons.
Three common types of dating
violence occur among teenagers.
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Physical—for example, if a
partner is pinched, hit, shoved, or kicked.
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Emotional—Examples include name
calling, teasing, threats, bullying, keeping him/her away from friends
and family.
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Sexual—or forcing a partner to
engage in a sexual act when he or she does not or cannot consent.
Dating violence may have lasting
effects. Teenage victims are more likely to do poorly in school, and
engage in unhealthy behaviors, like drug and alcohol use. Anger and stress
may lead to eating disorders and or depression. Some teenage victims
consider suicide. Physically abused teens are three times more likely than
their non-abused peers to experience violence during college.
People who harm their dating
partners are more depressed, have lower self-esteem, and are more
aggressive than their peers. Other warning signs for dating violence
include:
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Use of threats or violence
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Anger management problems
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Alcohol or drug use
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Problems at school
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Poor social skills
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Lack of parental supervision
For additional online
information, go to the
National Youth Violence
Prevention Resource Center at
www.safeyouth.org
National Sexual Violence Resource
Center
www.nsvrc.org |
Screening for
Intimate Partner Abuse
There are a number of good ways to screen for this problem. Among them
are these questions:
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In the last year, has anyone physically hurt you by slapping,
kicking, or hitting?
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In the last year, has anyone made you do something sexual you
didn't want to do?
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In the last year, has someone made you worried about the safety of
your child?
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Are you afraid of your partner or anyone else?
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Does your partner ever humiliate you in public, keep you from
seeing your friends or doing things you want to do?
Victims of intimate partner abuse will sometimes answer these
questions "no" even though they should answer them "yes." Reasons for
this response include:
Risk Assessment
If you believe the patient may be a victim of partner abuse, it is
important to assess her degree of risk, particularly in these areas:
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Immediate danger to the woman or her children
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Weapons in the home
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Recent escalation of violence
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Is there a plan? (bags packed, extra keys, money, safe haven,
emergency phone numbers)
Make sure the patient is aware that help is available and effective.
Ultimately, there are resolutions to this problem, including counseling,
temporary or permanent separation, and removal of the abuser through
judicial proceedings. Provide her with a list of resources, including
law enforcement, local shelters, child protective agencies, and
telephone hotlines. Some women keep copies of these phone numbers
on a small piece of paper that they wear inside their shoes, hidden from
sight but always available.
Important Points of Contact
I’d like to leave you with points of contact
for four groups who can provide more information and help you with this
difficult but serious problem:
National Domestic Violence
Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 TTY, or
www.ndvh.org
National Coalition against
Domestic Violence
www.ncadv.org
National Sexual Violence Resource
Center
www.nsvrc.org
Family Violence Prevention Fund
www.endabuse.org
This segment was last revised
1/09. Portions of this
segment were drawn from Fact Sheets from the Center for Disease Control,
Atlanta GA, www.cdc.gov .
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