Covariates of Domestic Partner Violence
Domestic, or intimate partner, violence is any type of aggressive behavior in a relationship. Forms of this abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, and economic. Domestic violence is now recognized as a public health problem in the United States. Image: Domestic Violence. Authored by: Unknown. Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/ USMC-101026-M-6457M-002.jpg. License: CC-0
According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), there are a number of risk factors for domestic violence.
Employment:When victims, especially women, are making more money than their partner, a perpetrator might feel threatened by their partner’s economic power. Experiencing domestic violence can create a cycle where it becomes harder to have economic power and financial independence, making the victim more dependent on the offender and limits their options of leaving. Tolentino et al. (2017) found a relationship between supervisor evaluations, domestic violence, and jobs. Specifically, those experiencing domestic violence received lower performance reviews and were less likely to get promotions than those who had not been experiencing domestic violence. The need to hide their victimization as well as recover from abuse, can lead to needing time off or losing jobs, thereby creating
further economic hardships. Imbery (2014) found that around 50 percent of women lose their jobs because of IPV. In addition, domestic violence is associated with isolation, making finding a job harder for victims.
Low-income families are at higher risk for intimate partner violence. Poverty creates severe stressors that also limit the coping options for the victim. Image: Wallet with no cash. Authored by: Kate Ter Harr. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/4537732566/. License: CC- BY 2.0
Poverty: There tends to be more IPV among lower-income families. Women are more likely to be trapped in poverty, including as a single-headed household, for a variety of social factors including lower pay for women (wage discrimination). There is a relationship between being on social assistance programs and higher rates of domestic violence that supports this idea (Satyanathan & Pollack, 2012). In addition, women in poverty may feel more trapped in abusive situations. The intersection of poverty and IPV is one of the leading causes of homelessness among women as well (ACLU, n.d.). Although there are some protections (for example, around housing) in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, significant issues associated with IPV remain. For example, nuisance laws can be used to evict IPV victims because they call the police or the household makes too much noise (Imbery, 2014).
Guns and Domestic Violence: Over the past 30 years, more intimate partner homicides in the United States have been committed with guns than with all other weapons combined (Everytown for Gun Safety, n.d.), with 19 percent of all domestic violence involving a weapon (Truman & Morgan, 2014). More than 50 percent of all women killed during a domestic dispute were killed with a gun (Gerney & Parsons, 2014). According to Gerney & Parsons (2014), “From 2001 through 2012, 6,410 women were
murdered in the United States by an intimate partner using a gun—more than the total number of U.S. troops killed in action during the entirety of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.” In addition, in 57 percent of all mass shootings, the shooter killed a current or former spouse, intimate partner, or some other family member. Simply having a gun in the home increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent, and guns in the home are known to significantly increase the potential for IPV to turn into homicide or serious physical harm (Campbell et al., 2003).