Impact of Domestic Violence

Introduction

Domestic violence in contemporary society features as one of the biggest social problems that affect the way that families function. In retrospect, it leads to a myriad of issues that significantly affect how individual members of a family interrelate. Currently, there exist divergent views of the underlying causes of domestic violence. On the one hand, there exists a group of scholars who perceive domestic violence as a form of punishment to the victims. On the other hand, some scholars view domestic violence as representing multiple psychological issues, including metal mental health and strained gender relations. In view of this paper, domestic violence is rather complicated, and the causal factors are very diverse and unique to a particular individual. Domestic violence exposes its victims to a myriad of issues, including physical injury, psychological disorders, and other health-related issues that affect how they function and operate. More so, it affects the dynamic of the social relation that is instrumental towards how spouses connect and develop mutual relationships.

The causes of domestic violence are extensive, with multiple research studies indicating that the causal agents are mainly psychological. The perpetrators exhibiting characteristics of violence towards their spouses suffer from different forms of mental health issues that adversely affect the way that they relate to their spouses. Gender relations are central to domestic violence because, in most cases, violence is a symptom of strained gender relations between the spouses(Berk, et al. 107). However, it is accurate to hypothesize that domestic violence is a representation of underlying gender relations issues. Notably, the individuals who engage in domestic violence have a particular ideological belief regarding the way that a person should handle conflicts with their spouses. In addition, domestic violence is also a result of substance abuse. The perpetrators of domestic violence usually only engage in the act when they are under the influence of drugs. In summation, domestic violence or rather the causal factors closely interlink with one’s perceptual views of the opposite gender and how they should address issues. To this end, cultural values and beliefs are very influential in how an individual handles conflicts because, in patriarchal societies, violence is perceived as a means of resolving spousal problems.

Domestic violence’s other causal factors include peer influence, a history of domestic violence in one’s life, and life experiences of neglect and violence. Notably, domestic violence is learned, and most people usually learn it from past experiences. For example, individuals who experience different forms of domestic violence in their life growing up tend to engage in similar practices as adults. In the view of this paper, it is fundamentally accurate to hypothesize that the phenomenon of domestic is more of a social construct issue that exists because of the misconception of how to deal with conflicts. For those individuals who perceive violence as a solution to conflicts, they are more susceptible to using violence to settle their domestic problems. More so, they believe that through engaging in violence, they can control their victims and dominate them.

Domestic violence adversely affects the victims, including causing physical harm, mental health issues, and a myriad of health-related complications that significantly affect the quality of their life. According to Myhill, most victims of domestic violence suffer significant physical injuries(2017). In some of the extreme cases, the victims of domestic violence are permanently incapacitated as a result of domestic violence. The physical aspect of the whole ordeal is extensive and, in most cases, causes PTSD in the victims, which affects their cognitive balance. Subsequent discussions will explore the psychological issues that arise from domestic violence.

The experience of abuse and violence also leads to psychological problems, including depression, PTSD, and Anxiety Disorder. The exposure to specific forms of domestic violence becomes a core factor that influences the way that mental health problems develop and become a part of the whole paradigm of the victim’s life(Myhill 37). For example, reports indicate that domestic violence is one of the most significant causal agents of mental health issues, including behavioral patterns of being suicidal. For all victims of domestic violence, they exhibit different psychological issues depending on the level of physical abuse that they experienced.

To conclude, domestic violence is a causal factor of multiple health complications such as cardiovascular disorder, obesity, and low self-esteem. Arguably, the spectrum of one’s health is greatly affected by the experiences of domestic violence. More importantly, their sense of self-worth significantly reduced that lead to a myriad of issues, as the discussions above indicate, including depression. Domestic violence, as a social problem, greatly affects not only social relations but also the victims’ health paradigms. It is pf great importance that the policymakers adopt such policy frameworks that help to reduce the cases of domestic violence and help victims recover.

Works Cited

Berk, R. A., et al. “Forecasting domestic violence: A machine learning approach to help inform arraignment decisions.” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, vol. 13, no. 1, 2016, pp. 94-115, doi:10.1111/jels.12098.

Myhill, A. “Measuring domestic violence: Context is everything.” Journal of Gender-Based Violence, vol. 1, no. 1, 2017, pp. 33-44, doi:10.1332/239868017×14896674831496.