As a global public health and human rights concern, domestic violence affects the lives of millions of individuals throughout the entire world. Most frequently, the abuser violates the rights of the other family member due to low self-esteem, extreme jealousy, as well as difficulties in regulating anger and other strong emotions. Even though it is still difficult to determine specific contributors to the development of domestic violence in relationships, the majority of researchers highlight that abuse is dependent on gender, race, class, and sexuality.
Despite the fact that any individual can become the victim of domestic violence, women are most likely to suffer from this problem. In fact, poverty and economic needs force women to remain in abusive marriages where their well-being is threatened when they try to leave (Anderson, 2010). As a result, women end up in a dilemma relying on their abusive partners to survive while experiencing threats to their emotional and physical well-being. Whether a partner’s domination takes the form of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, the other person is predicted to face additional issues, such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicide (Lawson, 2012). Consequently, gender can be considered the central aspect of partner violence.
Although women are the most affected as a result of violence, other parties are also directly or indirectly impacted. For instance, their children get traumatized from observing their abused mothers and in some instances get similar abuses like their mothers. In order to avoid it, it is essential to take into consideration therapies offered by psychologists. Nowadays, the majority of these theories are associated with numerous limitations but the home visitation program has proved to demonstrate positive results (Jouriles et al., 2008). According to this program, the child raised in a family where any type of violence takes place should be visited by a professional for a period of several months or years. During these sessions, psychologists take appropriate measures to detect whether the child experiences emotional and psychological issues. Finally, they use talking sessions as a tool to improve the self-esteem of the family member.
When it comes to race and social status, these factors significantly affect the chances for the development of domestic violence. On one hand, people of color are more likely to experience abuse in relationships than white individuals (Sokoloff & Dupont, 2005). On the other hand, they are less likely to report it than other population groups. Increased rates of domestic violence among racial minorities can be explained by economic insecurity, combined with isolation, racism, and discrimination. Hence, race and social status of the victim of abuse are interrelated terms in this case. In turn, same-sex relationships suffer higher levels of domestic violence, which can be explained by both external and internal factors. For example, these couples are more likely to face discrimination and internalized negative attitudes about homosexuality from the perspective of society than heterosexual couples.
Thus, domestic violence can be characterized by an imbalance of power and control in relationships. This pattern of abusive behavior is usually expressed by manipulations, physical threats, humiliation, and constant criticism. Today, gender, race, social status, and sexual orientation significantly affect the number of domestic violence victims. In fact, females, people of color, poor individuals, and gays are more likely to struggle with this problem. These population groups are less stable and powerful, which is the reason why they are likely to face domestic violence in real life.
References
Anderson, K. (2010). Conflict, power, and violence in families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 726-742. Web.
Jouriles, E., McDonald, R., Smith Slep, A., Heyman, R., & Garrido, E. (2008). Child abuse in the context of domestic Violence: Prevalence, explanations, and practice implications. Violence and Victims, 23(2), 221-235. Web.
Lawson, J. (2012). Sociological theories of intimate partner violence. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 22(5), 572-590. Web.
Sokoloff, N., & Dupont, I. (2005). Domestic violence at the intersections of race, class, and gender. Violence Against Women, 11(1), 38-64. Web.