Understanding Domestic Violence ______________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION The incidence of domestic violence, also referred to as intimate partner violence, in the United States is alarming; each year, over 10 million individuals suffer abuse from an intimate partner, while approximately 15.5 million children are believed to witness adult domestic violence in their homes annually (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, n.d.). Healthcare environments offer crucial chances for survivors of domestic violence to access information about support services and seek assistance. In this course the learner will gain important information regarding adequately screening for IPV, understanding the makeup of an abuser, vulnerable populations and IPV, national statistics, and identifying and working with victims of IPV in the healthcare setting. It is hoped that after completing this course you will have expanded tools and a trauma informed care lens when working with individuals and further recognize warning signs and appropriately assess and coordinate sup- portive resources for the victim(s) involved. Throughout this course you will read an interchanging of the terms, “domestic violence” and “intimate partner violence.” Domestic violence refers to violence among people in a domes- tic situation and can thus include not only a spouse or partner (same sex or opposite sex), but also siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on, while intimate partner violence, a more recent term, is more specific in describing violence perpetrated by a partner in a romantic or dating relationship (Women Against Abuse, 2024a). Some of these relationships include sex trafficking; relation- ships described as ”hooking up,” “dating”; “friends with benefits,” or other terminology; abuse within an institutional setting; and other abusive relationships where there is a pattern of coercive (use of force or threats) behaviors or tactics utilized against the victim with a purpose of gaining and keeping power or control over them. The word “victim” is used by members of law enforcement and within the context of courtroom proceedings, and the word “survivor” speaks to the sense of empowerment. In the end, it is imperative to follow the lead of the person seeking support, since the journey from victim to survivor is unique to each person. To that end, many are beginning to use the term victim/survivor (V/S) to represent this continuum (Women Against Abuse, 2024a).
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE DEFINITIONS AND TERMS
In response to the necessity for enhancing the quality of avail- able data on IPV, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), launched an effort to promote uniformity in the terminology and data collection methods concerning IPV. In 1999, NCIPC released Version 1.0 of Inti- mate Partner Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements (RDE). This version resulted from a comprehensive collaborative process that commenced with an expert panel convened in March 1996 (Breiding et al., 2015). Numerous external reviewers, including federal and international partners, representatives from state health departments, professional and medical organizations, coali- tions, and researchers, were also engaged in the development process. The ensuing discussion outlines various definitions and terms pertinent to intimate partner violence. The follow- ing definitions and terms are from the Intimate Partner Vio- lence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements (RDE) (Breiding et al., 2015). • Intimate partner violence includes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking and psychological aggression (including coercive tactics) by a current or former intimate partner (i.e., spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, dating partner, or ongoing sexual partner). • Intimate Partner: An intimate partner is a person with whom one has a close personal relationship that may be characterized by the partners’ emotional connectedness, regular contact, ongoing physical contact and sexual behavior, identity as a couple, and familiarity and knowledge about each other’s lives. The relationship need not involve all of these dimensions. Intimate partner relationships include current or former: ‒ spouses (married spouses, common-law spouses, civil union spouses, domestic partners) ‒ boyfriends/girlfriends ‒ dating partners ‒ ongoing sexual partners Intimate partners may or may not be cohabiting. Intimate partners may be of opposite or same sex. When both the vic- tim and the perpetrator share a child from a past relationship but are no longer in a current relationship, they fall under the classification of former intimate partners. The definition of common-law marriage varies among states.
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