Domestic Violence and Family Maltreatment

I. Overview

A variety of factors, related to the individual, family, and/or the intimate relationship, can give rise to emotions and behaviors associated with domestic or family violence. "Domestic violence" normally refers to the verbal, physical, or sexual abuse of one's spouse or intimate partner. Abusers, often called batterers are usually men although women have been known to assault partners as batterers themselves, or in response to being abused. Family violence also includes child abuse. The risk of domestic and family violence increases when one or more family members are in distress, experiencing high stress, abusing alcohol or drugs or are diagnosed with mental illness (such as depression).

Placing Emphasis on Healthy Communities in Domestic and Family Violence Prevention

Promoting healthy communities is a key to fostering safe non-violent family environments. One approach to prevention involves encouraging members to focus on positive behaviors and make healthy choices. Leaders can contribute to prevention and early identification of family violence by promoting:

An overall healthy life style.
Awareness of helping agencies.
An environment in which assistance can be sought without fear of retribution.
Opportunities for members and their families to build "informal connections" within their work sections and neighborhoods, creating "support networks" that reduce the social isolation some families may experience during stressful times.

Prevention also plays an important role after a family violence incident. Maltreatment intervention offers family members safety, support, treatment and hope that the cycle of violence can be broken.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence occurs across all levels of society. Physical violence is common among young adults and can include but is not limited to grabbing, kicking, shoving, slapping, and use of a weapon. Left untreated, domestic violence tends to escalate over time and can result in death. Spouse abuse normally involves aspects of both physical and psychological maltreatment. Significant risk for harm occurs when the victim attempts to either report the abuse or leave the abusive relationship. A variety of life stressors are associated with domestic violence including social isolation, financial difficulties, chronic medical problems, and alcohol abuse. It is common for abusive behavior to surface during or after a partner separation.

Psychological coercion is a common element in abusive relationships. For example, abusers may withhold medications, cancel appointments, or say that their spouse is mentally ill. They may keep their spouse awake all night or threaten to carry out attacks while they sleep. Other examples of psychological abuse include restricting access to money, name calling, and isolating the partner from family or friends.

An imbalance of power is common in abusive relationships. This can result in the victim being excluded from decision making. Additionally the abuser may stalk or monitor where the spouse or partner goes, or who he/she is with while away from home. Disconnecting the telephone, disabling the vehicle, or prohibiting contact with friends are common indicators of spouse or partner abuse. Adult victims may demonstrate alcohol or drug abuse, medical or emotional problems such as depression, anxiety or suicide attempts.

Child Maltreatment/Abuse

When violence or other maltreatment occurs within the family, everyone is affected. Maltreatment of children by a parent or caregiver may involve direct commission of an act, such as physical or emotional abuse, or omission of care, as in neglect. Children can also be affected indirectly when they witness adult to adult abusive behaviors or other acts of violence perpetrated on loved ones, including pets. Because children do not understand violent behavior, they often blame themselves as the cause of the incident or source of the conflict. They may also display behavioral changes such as regression, or aggression toward peers or siblings. Adolescents may display poor academic performance, experiment with alcohol or drugs, or manifest symptoms of depression and anxiety.

What Leaders Can Do

Leaders can take concrete actions to address both prevention and identification of family violence in our law enforcement and public safety communities. These include:

Creating an environment that encourages help seeking behavior.
Raising awareness of the signs of domestic and family violence.
Being willing to listen.
Staying involved - at least enough to monitor progress.
Knowing what resources are available.
Getting people to the services they need.

The primary objective in addressing family violence is to stop the abuse and provide safety for the victim. Section leaders should consult with their local legal resources to develop a safety plan. Offenders may be directed into treatment, or issued a "no contact" order to separate the offender and victim for a "cooling off period." Commanders should consult with legal authorities regarding commander-issued no contact orders and local policy and procedures for issuance. Victims should be encouraged to contact support services, talk with trusted individuals (e.g., chaplain), and maintain a list of emergency numbers. Additionally, victims should be encouraged to report incidents to their local law enforcement agency. A "safe house" may be needed where the victim's basic needs are met. These include food, water, clean and comfortable clothes, and clean and private sleeping quarters.

II. Relevant Policy

Identification, Reporting, and Intervention

While local policy and procedure may differ on specifics, law enforcement, emergency personnel, medical and mental health personnel are mandated to report all incidents of suspected family maltreatment. Upon request, the identity of the person making the report of maltreatment is kept confidential. Alleged family maltreatment is also reported to commanders.

If child maltreatment is suspected, mandated individuals file a suspected maltreatment report with the local Child Protective Service Agency, regardless of where the abuse occurred.

Law enforcement, emergency personnel, and commanders are responsible for managing emergency situations in the home that require securing safety for family members. If you, as a leader, suspect a volatile family situation you must notify local authorities as soon as possible of the incident and the family will be assessed.

IV. References

Assault victimization. (2000). The National Center for Victims of Crime: Office for Victims of Crime.
Brewster, A. L., Milner, J. S., Mollerstrom, W. W., Saha, B. T., & Harris, N. (2002). Evaluation of spouse abuse treatment: Description and evaluation of the Air Force Family Advocacy programs for spouse physical abuse. Military Medicine, 167, 464-469.
Lamberg, L. (2000). Domestic violence: what to ask for, what to do. Journal of the American Medical Association, 284, 554-556.
McCarroll, J. E., Ursano, R. J., Newby, J. H., Liu, X., Fullerton, C. S. (2003). Domestic violence and deployment in US Army soldiers. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191, 3-9.
National Victim Assistance Academy Textbook. (2002). National Center for Victims of Crime: Office for Victims of Crime.
Stalking victimization. (2000). The National Center for Victim of Crimes: Office for Victims of Crime.