The effects of Domestic Violence Against Women

by- Hannah Jagiri

We all know Domestic Violence against women is wrong, but do we really know the long-term effects of Domestic Violence on women? The negative consequences include impairment to a person’s health, long-term damage to children, and harm to communities like job loss and homelessness. A mental health problem like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more likely to strike women who have experienced abuse or other trauma.

Long-Term Effects Of Domestic Violence On Women

Nearly 4,774,000 women in the United States experience Domestic Violence by an intimate partner every year (LiveYourDream.Org, 2019).

Physically, the effect of Domestic Violence against women ranges from a trip to the ER, and sometimes women who have been severely beaten are often treated for loss of consciousness as a result of this vile act. Two out of three patients were assaulted by their current spouses, nine% were abused by a former spouse, and 12% were assaulted by someone they were dating (Hatch, Grunfeld, Mackay, Cowan, 1999).

Women who were abused by a former or current partner experienced severe violence, with 81%being kicked, bitten, or hit, 60% being pushed, grabbed, or shoved, 55%being threatened, and 30% being choked (Hatch, Grunfeld, Mackay, Cowan, 1999).

A mental health problem like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more likely to strike women who have experienced abuse or other trauma.

Gleason discovered that battered women had a considerably greater frequency of severe depression than those in the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area study using psychiatric diagnostic techniques. In the same study, severe depression was more common (63%) than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was identified in 40% of participants (W.J. Gleason, 1993).

In contrast, depression in women as a whole is predicted to have a prevalence of 9.3% and a lifetime risk of 20% to 25%. The number of guidelines for treating depression in primary care settings is rising. Yet it hasn’t always been understood that depression and Domestic Violence need to be assessed for and treated if necessary (W.J Gleason, 1993).

Lastly, women who have been Physically Abused have been reported to suffer from severe PTSD and Substance Abuse. There are so many long-term effects of violence. If you feel your life is being threatened by your partner or you are being abused, seek help immediately. The pain you’d feel leaving is nothing compared to the damage that would be done to you.

We at AbuseRefugeOrg (ARO) are here to support you in your personal healing journey to complete wellbeing. We bring awareness and education to thirteen different types of abuse to help others heal and find peace. If you would like to learn more and donate to help others find refuge, please visit GoARO.org.

References

Domestic Violence Facts And Figures. Domestic Violence Facts and Figures. (2019). Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://act.liveyourdream.org/domestic-violence-facts-and-figures-cpc/

Hotich, D., Grunfeld, A. F., Mackay, K., & Cowan, L. (1999, March 2). An emergency department-based domestic violence intervention program: Findings after One Year. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0736467995020519

Gleason, W. J. (1993). Mental disorders in battered women: An empirical study. Violence and victims. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8292565/