Domestic Violence Issues

DEFINITIONS
The term “family violence” and sometimes “domestic violence” has been used to describe
acts of violence between family members, including adult partners, a parent against
a child, caretakers or partners against elders and between siblings. While all forms of
family violence can be devastating, this monograph focuses only on domestic violence or
“intimate partner violence.” In this monograph, “intimate partner violence” will be used to
more specifically define a range of behaviors between intimate or dating partners:
Intimate partner violence is a pattern of purposeful coercive behaviors that may include
inflicted physical injury, psychological abuse, sexual assault, progressive social isolation,
stalking, deprivation, intimidation and threats. These behaviors are perpetrated by someone
who is, was or wishes to be involved in an intimate or dating relationship with an adult or
adolescent victim and are aimed at establishing control of one partner over the other
Domestic violence is but one aspect of the larger set of problems related to family violence. Related problems not directly addressed in this guide, each of which requires separate analysis, include:
  * parent abuse
  * child abuse
  * child sexual abuse
  * elder abuse
  * sibling violence
  * domestic violence by police officers.

Legal definitions of domestic violence or intimate partner violence are generally more
restrictive and refer specifically to threats or acts of physical or sexual violence including
forced rape, stalking, harassment, certain types of psychological abuse and other crimes
where civil or criminal justice remedies apply. Laws vary from state to state. Since
evidence exists that non-physical intimate partner violence has many devastating physical,
psychological, behavioral and developmental effects, the definition used in these Guidelines
is better suited for the identification and treatment of intimate partner violence in the
health care... [continues]

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