Chapter 14

Summary:

Chapter fourteen tackles the difficult issues of family abuse, violence, and other health problems. It starts off by detailing intimate partner abuse and violence (IPV), its different forms, and relevant statistics. IPV is the violence that occurs between two people who are in a personal relationship (e.g. spouses, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.). In the United States, this type of victimization is a widespread (and most likely underreported) issue. Intimate partner violence has three different subcategories: emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is defined as making a partner engage in a sexual act when he or she does not give consent. Physical abuse is the intentional act of inflicting bodily harm on the other person, by doing things such as hitting, pushing, or choking. Emotional abuse occurs when one threatens his or her partner and/or insulting him or her; examples of this include name calling, pushing the partner into social isolation, and (Facebook?) stalking, among other things. The threat of sexual or physical violence can also be counted among forms of IPV. Though the incidence of IPV has decreased over the last several years, the cases of abuse against women still far outnumber those against men. Each year, over two million deaths and more than 600,000 injuries are the direct results of intimate partner violence. The chapter goes on to list a number of other statistics, like that women are more likely than their male counterparts to sustain serious physical injuries resulting from IPV, and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. A somewhat positive sign is that marital homicide is on the decline.

Benokraitis notes that while there is no typical abuser, those who do commit these acts of violence against their partners tend to share certain characteristics. Victimizers tend to have seen their own parent(al figure) abuse the other, be poor and/or unemployed, be of a younger age, cohabitate or be separated from their spouse, and abuse drugs and/or alcohol. Race appears to be a related factor, as multiracial and Native Americans report the highest incidences of abuse, while Asian Americans experience the lowest rates of IPV. Marital rape is another related problem, in which one spouse forces the other to engage in sexual intercourse, without that spouse's consent. It is the most prevalent form of rape in the country, and happens to about twenty-five percent of women nationwide, yet is considered a lesser offense than "stranger" rape. The author goes on to describe the "cycle of domestic violence." It is the basis behind the idea of battered-woman syndrome, which describes a woman who has endured so many years physical abuse at the hands of her partner that she feels incapable of leaving him. The cycle consists of three different phases, tension-building, acute battering incident, and calm (the "honeymoon phase"). Women, often those suffering from battered-woman syndrome, choose to stay in these harmful relationships for a number of reasons. Among the most common reasons are: need for child support, fear, negative self-concept and low self-esteem, blaming themselves, a belief that the abuser will change, economic hardship and homelessness, shame or guilt, and the home becomes a prison. In situational couple violence, both women and men perpetrate violent acts, but women are also capable of being the sole aggressors/actors.

Another for of familiar violence is child maltreatment. It includes emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. Neglect is the most common type, although they tend to co-occur; parents are most often responsible for the abuse. Infanticide is the most common form of death for those under one-year of age, and young parents with a history of mental illness are the most common perpetrators. Incest is a common type of sexual abuse, and is very likely underreported. There are a number of reasons why adults abuse children, including stress; partner abuse; substance abuse, poverty, divorce, or any combination of the aforementioned factors. Abuse affects children in many ways, inducing emotional, social, and physiological problems. Sibling abuse is another issue, and consists of degradation, torturing or killing a pet, destroying personal possessions, name calling and ridicule, and intimidation. About ten percent of murders in the United States are due to siblicide. Siblings can also commit sexual abuse against their other brothers or sisters, and can continue their abuse of children well into the teen years. This practice has negative consequences for the adolescents in the teen years and beyond.

Geriatric people can also fall victim to abuse. It includes: psychological abuse; social isolation; financial exploitation; physical abuse; negligence; deprivation of basic necessities; and not administering necessary medications. Most elder abuse victims are Caucasian, and suffer from physical abuse most often; those of other races tend to perpetrate financial exploitation and neglect more often. Ninety percent of abusers are related to the victims, with children and spouses topping the list. Those who commit elder abuse do so for several reasons, including: social isolation; dependency of the older person on the caregiver; living arrangements; personality; alcohol abuse; impairment of the caregiver or care recipient; or medical costs and financial stress.

Although less research has been conducted on people in same-sex relationships or different racial-ethnic groups, it is obvious that violence occurs in these communities. A number of theories have been proposed to help to explain family violence and abuse. They include: social learning, exchange, resource, patriarchy, and ecological systems theories; a combination of these theories can also be used to explain family abuse.

Benokraitis finishes up the chapter by detailing some of the other health issues that most affect the family. She writes about substance abuse (both of alcohol and illegal drugs), depression and suicide, eating disorders (binge eating, bulimia and anorexia nervosa, and overweight and obesity). The chapter concludes with suggestions on how to combat family abuse and violence. Benokraitis notes that raising awareness and family violence, preventing its occurrence, and intervening when it happens, are all ways of making family abuse less of an issue in society.

New info:

I thought it was interesting that White Americans commit the greatest amount of physical elder abuse, while minorities are more likely to exploit older people financially. I just thought it was funny considering the stereotypes of minorities being the ones to commit violent crimes while those of the majority group, especially in the media, are seen as going the more "white-collar," financial route in their commission of crime.

Question:

Given the recent controversies at Penn State and Syracuse, do you think the necessary awareness has been given to family violence? Do you think these cases will help to lessen the incidence of abuse, as the author suggests?