Intimate Partner Violence

By: Khaled Elsharkawy

 Statement of the Problem

Intimate partner violence is the behavior intimate relationship that causes physical harm, sexual, or psychological violence, including physical assault, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse and controlling behavior. (Dutton, Kaltman, Goodman, Weinfurt, & Vankos, 2005). Intimate partner violence occurs mainly from adolescence and early adulthood onwards, most often in the context of marriage or cohabitation and usually includes physical abuse, sexual, or emotional harm (Dutton et al, 2005).  Intimate partner violence or IPV is violence committed by a spouse, former spouse, current or ex- boyfriend or girlfriend, and same sex partners. Both men and women are the victims of IPV, but in general that women are more likely suffer physical and psychological than men from IPV (Dutton et al, 2005).

Over the past two decades, there has been a significant shift in coping with intimate partner violence in all sectors of society, including the criminal justice system, social services, health care, and public opinion. Strengthening of  the response in the  criminal justice system which include a change in the treatment of the law enforcement officer in dealing with  violence calls and complaints of domestic violence, such policies as detention, prosecution mandatory, training for staff of law enforcement and judges on the dynamics of domestic violence , increased penalties and the establishment of local special domestic violence courts (Taft, Bryant-Davis, Woodward,  Tillman, & Torres, 2009).Violence against women is a major public health problem in the United States. According to data from the criminal justice system, hospitals, medical and mental health records, social services, and surveys, thousands of women who are killed or injured each year as a result of intimate partner violence. There is nearly one-third of female homicide victims listed in the records of the police are killed by an intimate partner (F. B. I. 2001 cited by Taft et al, 2009).

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has an impact not only on the women who suffer directly, but the kids who are observing it (Taft et al, 2009). The primary prevention of this kind of violence is to save lives and money by stopping intimate partner and sexual violence before they occur. Prevention of intimate partner violence will protect the physical, mental injuries, economic, and development of individual, families, communities and whole societies (Taft et al, 2009).

The Research Questions and Variables

The research questions: (1)Do children who witness intimate partner violence are more likely to commit such acts in adulthood (2) Does economic empowerment and higher education protect women from intimate partner violence?

The dependent variable: the dependent variable in my article is physically or emotionally harmful acts. Assault between intimate partners can take many forms. It may include emotional or verbal abuse, denial of access to resources or money, sexual assault, death threats, or abuse, physical intimidation. In extreme cases, the domestic violence may lead to e death of one of the partners (Jewkes, 2002).

 The independent variables: (1) witness intimate partner violence in childhood, Men who witness intimate partner violence in childhood are more likely to commit such acts in adulthood. (2) Economic empowerment, modified cultural, and Higher Education may protects women from intimate partner violence (IPV).

Literature Review

            Intimate partner violence affects a large proportion of the population, with the vast majority suffering directly from such violent behavior. The damage caused by intimate partner violence can last a lifetime and span generations, with negative effects on health, education and employment (Taft et al, 2009). The primary prevention of this kind of violence is to save lives and money by stopping intimate partner and sexual violence before they occur. Prevention of intimate partner violence will protect the physical, mental injuries, economic, and development of individual, families, communities and whole societies (Taft et al, 2009). Children who witness violent behavior between their parents, be victims of physical abuse themselves ,or be neglected by parents who are focused on their partners or does not respond to their children because of their own fears., Even if the kids do not abuse it faces emotional consequences of harmful emotional violence they witness (Jewkes, 2002).

Theories relevant to IPV: There are two theories have been heavy influenced in intimate partner violence research. (1) Social learning theory, or the idea that violence may be transmitted from one generation to next and (2)   feminist theory, or the idea that male dominance in society on personal relationships (Jewkes, 2002). Social learning theory explains that people are not born as violent individuals, but they learn violent behavior by watching and imitating the behavior of others. The social learning theory is often associated with IPV because a large number of people who batter their intimate partners learned to be violent towards their role models during childhood (Chamberland, C., Fortin, A., Turgeon, and J.  & Laporte, L 2007). Feminist critique reminds us to focus on the dynamics of individual explain why are many women are abused by their intimate partner. It is because the men male dominance in society on personal relationships (Chamberland et al, 2007).

Review of the contemporary research on IPV:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem, which produces significant costs for victims, offenders, family members, law enforcement agencies, health care institutions, and the general population  (Coker, 2004). “Because of the costs associated with IPV, researchers and advocates have begun to focus attention on prevention. Several preventive initiatives have been implemented in communities across the United States (Coker, 2004).” Intimate partner violence has been the focus of state and federal legislation, numerous federal and state “blue ribbon” commissions, several important U.S. Supreme Court cases and numerous state court decisions, intensive advocacy and lobbying efforts at all levels of government, several criminal justice policy experiments, broad public education campaigns, professional development and training curricula of health and social service workers, and numerous treatments in popular culture and the media. It has drawn the interest of researchers and theorists from every discipline in the social and behavioral sciences, and research on intimate partner violence now populates the leading journals in each” (Fagan, & Maxwell, 2006, p358).

Research Methodology

            The current research study uses the mixed method approach to illustrate the value of the mixed method studying dynamics among cases involving intimate partner violence (IPV).

 First, a quantitative analysis is provided of secondary data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects information on nonfatal crimes reported and not reported to the police from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. The study by Taft et al (2009) used secondary data as methods of data collection from several national survey studies have documented rates of IPV among African American couples. National Family Violence Survey (NFVS), Violence against Women Survey (NVAWS), and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The finding in the study (1) there is evidence that IPV has a number of deleterious effects on the mental and physical health of African American women who are subject to abuse by their intimate partner. (2) the causal factors of IPV is still limited, further research is warranted that will determine which factors are most influential and in turn, which interventions may be most effective. (3) In addition, funding should be made available to agencies that help victims of IPV and that cater to primarily low income or African American populations.

Second, the qualitative method, the study by Dutton et al (2005) the data collected in-person interviews conducted at the time of recruitment. Follow-up interviews were conducted every 3 to 4 months via telephone. The larger investigation is currently in the 10th wave of data collection. The findings in this study are significant from a public policy perspective for several reasons. The three identified patterns are meaningful and represent a manageable number from which to base policy decisions. The findings highlight the importance of a thorough assessment of the entire constellation of IPV experienced by battered women. The findings also support the need for community service providers to be equipped to assess IPV configurations and provide appropriately tailored interventions.

Conclusion

Intimate partner violence is the behavior intimate relationship that causes physical harm, sexual, or psychological violence, including physical assault, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse and controlling behavior. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem, which produces significant costs for victims, offenders, family members, law enforcement agencies, health care institutions, and the general population. The risk exposed to intimate partner violence increases if there is poor, less educated, an adolescent or a young adult male or female living in high-poverty neighborhood, and dependent on drugs and alcohol. The state should make efforts to prevent the occurrence of intimate partner violence, or at least minimize them as much as possible. It should develop strategies and programs that help people to stop intimate partner violence before it begins.  For example, education programs to teach the young people dating skills and non-violence, to assist individuals, families, and communities to assess and understand the risks of domestic violence, and the collection and analysis of data to develop policies interventions.