______________________________________________________________ Understanding Domestic Violence
CASE STUDY 2 Arianna married her husband Nick after a long relationship and shortly thereafter moved to her husband’s family farm. The couple was happy at the farm and soon had their first child. During the pregnancy, Nick’s behavior began to change, and by the time their daughter was born the relationship did not “feel” as it had before. Nick seemed withdrawn and spent long periods of time by himself. He began to remind Arianna of Nick’s father, who had always been a stern presence in his life. Nick’s behavior became threatening and controlling, especially in rela- tion to money and social contact. He was increasingly aggressive in arguments and would often shout and throw objects around the room. Arianna thought that, because he wasn’t physically hurting her, his behavior did not qualify as abuse. Nick did not show much interest in their daughter, Nora, except when in public, where he would appear to be a doting and loving father. Nora was generally a well-behaved child; however, Arianna found that she was unable to leave her with anyone else. Nora would cry and become visibly distressed when Arianna handed her to someone else to be fed. This was stressful for Arianna and also meant that her social activities were limited further. Nora took a long time to crawl, walk, and begin talking. Her sleeping patterns were interrupted, and Arianna often did not sleep through the night, even when Nora was over 12 months of age. When Nora did begin to talk, she developed a stutter, and this further impeded her speech development. Arianna worried about Nora a lot. Their family doctor told her that this was normal for some children and that, if the speech problems persisted, she could always send Nora to a specialist at a later date. After a number of years, Nick’s behavior became unacceptable to Arianna. During arguments he would now hold on to the rifle that he had for farming purposes, and Arianna found this very threaten- ing. On a number of occasions, items that Nick threw hit Arianna, and she was increasingly afraid for their daughter. Arianna decided to leave and consulted the local women’s service, who assisted her to get an intervention order against Nick. Once Arianna had taken Nora away from Nick, her behavior changed. Nora’s development seemed to speed up, and Arianna couldn’t under- stand why. As part of her counseling at a local women’s service, she discussed this issue, and her counselor recognized the developmental delay, stutter, irritation, and separation anxiety as effects of Nora’s previously abusive situation. This can be seen as a missed opportunity for identifying family vio- lence. If the family doctor would have asked Arianna or Nick (who had presented with chronic back pain) about their relationship, about what was happening to the family, and specifically to Nora, the situ- ation could have been identified much earlier.
Self-Assessment Questions
4. What could have been done by the pediatrician? A) Inquire with parents about safety at home B) Assess Jane’s environment and potential stressors C) Nothing could have been done D) Assess for mom’s safety and mental health 5. Identify different professionals who make up the multidisciplinary team in your organization and who could be involved in the provision of services for those who have experienced domestic violence (this will vary depending upon where you are based). Potential professionals that make up a multidisciplinary team include but are not limited to social workers, physicians, psy- chologists, nurses, mental health therapists, and advocates. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WITHIN LGBTQ, MINORITY, AND NON-ENGLISH- SPEAKING POPULATIONS Data reveals that specific forms of abuse are more common within LGBTQ+ communities. For instance, 44 percent of lesbian women and 61 percent of bisexual women report experiencing rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime, compared to 35 per- cent of heterosexual women. Similarly, 26 percent of gay men and 37 percent of bisexual men—compared to 29 percent of heterosexual men—have experienced similar forms of abuse, according to the same survey (Kippert, 2022). For many individuals within the LGBTQ+ community, experi- ences of IPV often commence during youth or early adulthood. Research indicates that a significant proportion of LGBTQ+ high school-aged students have encountered forced sexual activity. Specifically, one in five (19%) lesbian, gay, and bisexual students report being coerced into sex, contrasting with 6% of heterosexual students. Similarly, nearly one in four (24%) transgender students disclose experiencing forced sexual activ- ity, along with 15% of their cisgender counterparts (Human Rights Campaign, 2022). Furthermore, LGBTQ+ high school-aged students report heightened occurrences of physical (13%) and sexual (16%) dating violence, surpassing the rates reported by heterosexual peers (physical: 7%, sexual: 7%). Similarly, transgender stu- dents reveal elevated levels of physical (26%) and sexual (23%) dating violence compared to cisgender peers (physical: 15%, sexual: 16%) (Human Rights Campaign, 2022).
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